By Dan Elsom

At the top of the table, Brothers put on a show at home in round eight, while Easts made light work of Norths to move into second place.

Bond University ran away with a second half victory over Sunnybank, while GPS were too good for University of Queensland, thanks to a hat-trick from flying winger Garlen Peace.

Brothers 76-12 Wests

Brothers put Wests to the sword on Ladies Day at Crosby Park, running in 12 tries and firmly positioning themselves as the team to beat in 2026.

Wests were left shell-shocked as the competition leaders ran in five tries inside the first 20 minutes, racing out to a 29-0 lead at home.

Then things went from bad to worse for the visitors as No.8 Connor Anderson was shown a red card for punching, leaving an already battered Bulldogs side one man short for the remaining 50 minutes.

Wests managed their solitary try of the half through Tali Finau and followed up with the first score of the second half. But those would be their only points for the rest of the game, as Brothers proved a class above in the final half an hour.

After a brief scoring hiatus, Brethren no.8 Brad Hemopo – one of the best on ground – reignited his side’s attacking flair with an impressive flick pass to put Kaelan Grafton over for a five-pointer.

And when a penalty try to Brothers saw Wests lose another man to the bin, it was impossible for the visitors to stem the flow of points.

Another five tries, highlighted by a hat-trick for Grafton, made for a dream finish on Ladies Day as the home side extended their lead at the top of the table to six points.

Wests dropped three places down to eighth but are still within three points of GPS in fifth.

Easts 49-15 Norths

In this top of the table clash, Easts were just too good for Norths, bolstered by the return of one of Australian rugby’s most talented backrowers.

Plagued by injury since his solitary game captaining the Wallabies against Wales back in July 2024, Liam Wright returned to the field with Easts in round eight – and he looked as though he’d never left.

Wright was instrumental in leading the Tigers’ pack forward all afternoon, evening picking up their first try in the opening quarter.

And despite Norths scoring first in the match, the former Wallaby’s try opened the floodgates for the flow of points from the home side.

A driving maul saw Max Craig cross minutes later, before Billy Kirk pounced on the ball following a dominant push-over scrum.

Another score from close range saw them head into the sheds leading 28-5, with this top of the table clash proving heavily one sided at David Wilson Field.

Easts lost a man to the sin bin with 20 minutes left to play, but it did little to stop their attack as they ran in another three tries through Jake Pappin, Nuku Swerling and a double for Craig.

The Eagles managed a consolation try to hooker Josh Mongard in the dying minutes, but they would be bitterly disappointed with the result given their regular form so far this season.

The win sees Easts move into second place, leapfrogging Norths who drop to third, just two points ahead of Bond University.

Bond University 45-20 Sunnybank

Despite being down at half time, Bond University blew Sunnybank off the park in the second 40 at The Canal to continue their climb up the ladder.

The Dragons got the perfect start, crossing after just two minutes as Netani Volitiviti threw a quick lineout and backed up on the outside to score down the left wing.

The 21-year-old winger then helped set up his side’s second shortly after the restart when Jack Volavola pounced on the loose ball and broke away down the left side, linking with Volitiviti who put Liam McNamara into space for a free run to the line.

Bond responded with two tries from close range through second rowers Fergus Gillan and Wilson Parata, before Volitiviti picked up a double for the visitors.

Volavola cut an impressive line down the right wing to cross for Sunnybank’s bonus point try, before Gillan secured his own brace to make it a one-point ball game at the halfway point.

Despite leading by just one point, Sunnybank arguably held the ascendency at the break. But the second half painted a very different picture.

The visitors failed to add their total at all in the final 40 minutes, as the Bull Sharks posted another four tries to put the game beyond reach.

The half was highlighted by a double to Parata, who matched his lock pairing in what was a great day at the office for Bond engine room.

The victory sees Bond create some all-important space on the ladder, now with a five-point buffer ahead of GPS in fifth place. Sunnybank left the Gold Coast with one losing bonus point but still find themselves sitting in the wooden spoon position.

GPS 41-28 University of Queensland 

A fast start at home gave GPS the lead early in round eight, never letting up despite a spirited second half resurgence from the visitors.

The Gallopers had to earn their first points of the day, firing plenty of shots at University of Queensland in the opening quarter before finally crossing through Rika Jnr Saaga after 20 minutes.

Then Garlen Peace entered the fold. The electric winger grabbed his first of the day with an aerial finish in the far corner, before an intercept on his own 22m line saw him race away for his second in as many minutes.

Peace was heavily influential for the home side all game and went on to pick up a hat-trick with yet another intercept try mid-way through the second half.

The Red Heavies finally cracked the GPS defence as fullback Tom Howard crossed the paint just before half time, but down 21-7 at the break, the visitors had little joy in the early stages of the game.

Barnstorming front rower RJ Saaga picked up a double shortly after play resumed, before UQ added three scores of their own to mount a comeback of sorts.

But solid defence from GPS kept the visitors at bay, as the home side eventually rounded out the game with a driving maul to put Troy Simkin over and the win beyond doubt.

The bonus-point victory sees the Gallopers climb to fifth place in the competition standings, while their own four-try bonus gave the Red Heavies a boost one place up the ladder to move into sixth.