They didn’t have things all their own way on Sunday, but Brothers found a way past Wests at the death in the final match of the season yet again. 

Trailing by a point inside the final five minutes, the experienced Brothers’ forward pack controlled possession and earned a penalty deep in Wests’ territory, which delivered the Hospital Cup to Crosby Road for the second straight season. 

“The whole day was tough to be honest and Wests were really good. That’s what we were expecting and that’s what we prepared for but they really did make things tough for us,” Brothers coach Ben McCormack told Rugby News a few days after the big win. 

“They were great at set piece time and their lineout defence was really good so we didn’t get the quality ball that we would have liked and that’s where we thought we’d get them. 

“We got enough in the end though and then our defence, although it struggled at times and they scored some really good tries, it was good enough to hold them to a reasonable score that we were able to chase down.”

Brothers led 21-7 half an hour into Saturday’s decider but trailed 22-21 following a Wests’ penalty goal in the 51st minute. 

Both sides scored five pointers in the final 15 minutes, before James O’Connor knocked over a penalty goal late in the match to seal victory by just two points again at Ballymore. 

“When you look at the size, the strength and the quality of Wests, we were never going to keep them to a nil score. We knew we were going to need to score points because they were always going to get over the line at some stage,” McCormack said. 

“They scored some great tries and probably missed a few other opportunities. But at the same time, I think we put some good pressure on them and then had a few things go our way.”

McCormack credited Brothers’ balance across their first grade roster as a leading contributor to this year’s success. 

21-year old Will Cartwright snatched an intercept at a crucial moment in the first half to help his side to a 14-point first half lead. 

“In the major semi, we saw the first bit of hesitation from Carty that we’d seen all year and it was fair enough, marking a guy like Suli (Vunivalu). The difference in the two players is pretty obvious. 

“After the major semi, all we’ve been talking to him about is backing himself because he had as many advantages as he did disadvantages in that match up. 

“The reason he’s been great all year is that he’s backed his instincts and he did that again on Sunday.”

McCormack equally praised his more experienced players, particularly those up front. 

“In the pack, we had guys like Harry Hoopert, Dom Fraser, Micheal Wood, Brad Hemopo and Will Wilson, then off the bench we had Noah Nielsen and Richard Clift. 

“We were really luck to have so much experience in our pack. The boys were disappointed with their lineout, but they were really happy with their physicality and the way they carried. 

“Every time Woody touched the ball it took two or three of them to take him down. 

“They also stayed calm even when things didn’t go their way and they didn’t let that impact other parts of their game and I think that’s where experience shines.”

McCormack returned to Brothers last spring after a stint coaching Sydney club Randwick and built on the side former coach Brendan Gabbett and those around him had developed into a premiership team. 

“It’s a cliche but we just took things one week at a time all year and made sure we kept our heads where our feet were,” McCormack said. 

“Each week we were only focused on the challenge that week and we really didn’t talk about premierships or finals until probably the second last round of the regular season. 

“That was a conscious effort by the coaches because it’s one thing to talk about focussing one week at a time but it’s another thing to actually do it.”

Capping another stellar year at Crosby Park, Brothers also celebrated a second grade, fourth grade and fifth grade premiership over the weekend. 

“We’ll take a bit of time to smell the roses and appreciate what we’ve done but to be honest, I’m already thinking about the areas where we struggled on Sunday and ways we can improve. 

“Then we’ve got to look at which players are moving on and which players we’ve got coming through. 

“I think a big reason why the club has been successful over the years is because as a whole, we always want to improve and keep things moving. 

“We’ll take time to appreciate what we’ve done but after that, we’ll be ready to go again.”