Wests have ended Easts’ quest for a perfect 2025 Hospital Cup season after defeating the Tigers 46-29 at home, handing them their first loss of the season and ending the ladder-leaders’ nine-game winning streak.

A try and conversion from Wests outside centre Isaac Henry meant the hosts went into halftime with a narrow two-point lead. The real damage was done in the second half, as Wests outscored Easts by 15 points to record their fifth straight win.

Wests head coach Elwee Prinsloo said it was a “tough game which could have gone either way” and was hesitant to label it his side’s best performance of the season.

“It’s hard to say – no doubt it was a good performance,” Prinsloo said.

“I think we did some things well, but I wasn’t happy with our first half. We didn’t play to our plan in the first half – we allowed them to stay in touch. They scored a few tries off their maul, and we knew they had the best maul in the competition.

“A big focus for us was to not allow them in territory to maul and to be disciplined. That’s something we didn’t do. We got penalised 18 times compared to their six, which is an interesting stat considering the score.

“First half probably didn’t go to plan, but we hung in there. We were lucky to score that try before halftime, and then we came out strong in the second half. I gave them a bit of a spray at halftime, and I thought we came back better. The bench made a difference.”

Wests were boosted by the return of Reds’ Harry McLaughlin-Phillips who made his Bulldogs debut, while the inclusions of Louis Werchon and Isaac Henry were pivotal.

“I thought they all contributed well and added value,” Prinsloo said.

However, he reserved praise for young-gun Denzel Samoa (10), who scored two tries on the day and appears to be thriving in union after transitioning from league at the start of the season.

“I really like Denzel Samoa at the moment; he has been very, very consistent. Between him and Glenn Vaihu (15), who also had a great game, they are usually the players picked for player of the week,” Prinsloo said.

Despite an incomplete performance, Prinsloo admitted he was satisfied that Wests won such an important game.

While the side is breathing down the necks of Easts and Brothers, who are first and second on the ladder respectively, the Bulldogs aren’t getting ahead of themselves.

“Winning is winning. It doesn’t matter how it comes – winning is always good,” Prinsloo said.

“We want to make sure that we take confidence out of that, but also keep our feet on the ground and make sure we keep improving.

“To be honest, the ladder doesn’t bother me. We’ve just got to keep winning. If we can keep winning, the ladder will take care of itself.”

Around the Grounds

Elsewhere in the competition, Souths had seven different try-scorers on the day as the side trounced GPS 45-26 at home to remain in fourth place. UQ, meanwhile, put on a show for their home fans, smashing Norths 59-33.

“That forward pack Souths put out, I think they could compete against the Reds,” Prinsloo said.

 “And UQ, they are a bloody dangerous team. To put almost 60 points on Norths is ridiculous. They have a lot of dangerous players. We play them next week and will need to be at our best.”

The final result of the weekend saw Brothers defeat Sunnybank 68-38, away.

Bond had the bye.