Brothers' Old Boys' Rugby Club

Congratulations to David Croft, Sean Hardman, Brendan McKibbin and Liam Shaw on their selection in the Queensland XV to play the Australian Barbarians. David Croft will also captain the side in his last match for Queensland.

The game is being played at Ballymore on Sunday July 13th, kick off is at 3:30pm.

Congratulations to Iliseva Batibasaga on her selection in the Wallaroos and Australian Women's 7's squads.

Brothers' Old Boys' Rugby Club has signed Imagetec as its major sponsor for the 2008 season.

Imagetec is Australia’s largest independent distributor of office equipment.

Brothers' Old Boys' Rugby Club has signed Canterbury as its apparel partner for the 2008 season.

Brothers went into the last round of the competition with the minor premiership already secure. Gold Coast had a chance of making the finals if they could overcome Brothers at Crosby park and other results went their way. This desperation showed in their play but Brothers held on to finish the competition rounds on a winning note.

In front of the Life Members and past presidents assembled at Crosby Park, the Brothers team started in good fashion and had first points just minutes in with a try to winger Angus McLean out wide. The conversion sailed wide but the home team had the early lead. There were other scoring opportunities but poor execution saw the chances go to waste. Gold Coast were next to score with a quick tap from a free kick catching Brothers napping. The Gold Coast raced away for a converted try. The only other points of the first half was a successful penalty goal to Brothers half back Brendan McKibbin. This saw Brothers ahead at the break 8 - 7.

Gold Coast scored first after the break to go to a 14 - 8 lead. At the mid way point in the half both teams were reduced to 14 men as a Gold Coast loose forward and Brothers No 8 Simon Price were both given red cards following an altercation near the Brothers goal line. The incident also saw Brothers second rower Sean Ryan forced to the blood bin and he was unable to return to the field. Brothers however seemed to cope better with the loss of a player. There were several strong attacking opportunities and winger Paul Doneley finished off one movement with a try to put Brothers back in the game. Shortly following Brendan McKibbin took a quick tap following a free kick. The Gold Coast were slow to react and he scored under the posts. Brothers went further ahead soon after. Brothers moved the ball wide in their own territory and the backs made good inroads down field. Centre James Harvey made a strong burst down the wing and with the cover converging passed infield. Replacement winger Michael Skinner, making his first Premier Grade appearance, was on hand to race away and score adjacant to the posts with his first touch of the ball. Brothers lead had extended to 27 - 14 but the Gold Coast kept fighting back. With just minutes left they scored a try and converted to bring themselves back within 6 points of the lead. Time however ran out as Brothers held on for the victory with a 27 - 21 victory. Following the game Brothers were presented with the Horsley Cup as Minor Premiers.

Brothers 27 (P Doneley, B McKibbin, A McLean, M Skinner tries, B McKibbin 2 con, pen) d Gold Coast 21

John Druery

A hard fought win over Norths and results at other games going in their favour Brothers secured the minor premiership for 2008 with a round remaining in the competition.

Brothers secured the victory though playing the majority of the game with 14 players after second row Liam Shaw was marched by the referee in the first half. Brothers gave away too many free kicks and penalties in the opening stages of the game and Norths took first points via a penalty goal. It was Brothers however who scored the first try. Blindside flanker Simon Price broke from the scrum and leapt on an errant pass at the base by Norths. He had enough pace to run the 20 meters to the line for a try. The Conversion put Brothers out in the lead at 7 - 3. It was soon after this that the referee saw the indiscretion leading to the reduction to 14 players for the visitors. Norths put the penalty goal over and the game was in the balance. The Brothers team however lifted its performance in the face of adversity. The seven man scrum proved strong and Brothers took the most of their attacking chances. Centre Nathanuel Gendle scored a strong try as he crashed through the Norths defense. Before the break Brothers were in again with outside centre James Harvey scoring out wide as some good ball movement by the Brothers backs found space. The score was well in favour of the Brothers team at the break but Norths did not look out of the game.

The second half featured some strong defense from the visitors. Norths seemingly had the majority of possession and made a few line breaks only for the Brothers cover defense to scramble and hold their line in tact. Eventually the pressure told and Norths were back in the game with a converted try. The Brothers team had the better of the next passage of play and scored two tries to seal the game. The first came after some good ball movement between the backs in their own half set winger Paul Doneley on a downfield run. As the cover closed he found James Harvey in support for his second try of the afternoon. Soon Brothers were on the attack again and while putting pressure on the Norths line a cross field kick found winger Angus McLean waiting for the ball to dive over for the try. With Brothers up 31 -13 the last ten minutes of the game went the way of the home team. The tiring Brothers team let in two tries, the final being right on full time, but they managed to hold on for a 31 - 27 victory.

Brothers 31 (N Gendle, J Harvey 2, A McLean, S Price tries B McKibbin 3 conv) d Norths 27

John Druery

Brothers held onto top spot on the premiership ladder as they worked hard to subdue a determined Sunshine Coast team at Crosby Park on Saturday.

Brothers started the game well and fullback Damon Murphy took advantage of a gap in the Stingrays backline defense to score first points after only a few minutes of play. His brother Dallan Murphy playing five eighth slotted the conversion for an early lead to the home team. Brothers were in again at the mid way point of the half with Tom Collins, standing in for regular half back Brendan McKibbin, grabbing a second try for the home team. Sunshine Coast in the meantime gained some field position and took advantage of some undisciplined play by Brothers to slot two successful penalty goals. The gap was narrowed even further by the half time break as Sunshine Coast scored a try out wide. Brothers led 14 -11 at the break.

Again Brothers were on top in the opening stages of the second period. Flanker Andrew Shaw made a memorable run breaking tackles and showing good strength and determination to score a try on a forty meter run to the line. Centre James Harvey added a second try for the home team soon after and Brothers had again gained a handy lead. Several promising breaks failed to result in tries and the Sunshine Coast fought back into the game. With twenty to go they scored one try and soon after the resumption charged down a Brothers clearing kick and scored a second. Brothers scrambled in defense to hold out some further raids by the Sunshine Coast in a tight finish to the game.

Brothers 24 (Thomas Collins, James Harvey, Damon Murphy, Andrew Shaw tries; Dallan Murphy 2 conv) d Sunshine Coast 21

John Druery

Brothers unbeaten run in Premier Grade came to a halt at Sunnybank on Saturday. This saw the Caxton Cup handed over to Sunnybank. The wet conditions may have contributed but Sunnybank were clear winners on the day. Brothers failed to effectively clear ball from their own territory repeatedly and when counter attacking Sunnybank had sufficient support players available to take advantage and score. Mistakes in their own area also told heavily on the visitors. Two penalties in the first half to Brendan McKibbin and a late try to Anthony Sauer chasing through a kick were the only points for Brothers. Fullback Damon Murphy made a few good probing runs from the back and Number 8 Simon Price made some good charges from the base of a sometimes retreating scrum.

Sunnybank 38 d Brothers 11 (A Sauer try; B McKibbin 2pen)

John Druery

Brothers continued their unbeaten run in the Premier Rugby competition with a solid 40-15 win over Souths at Chipsy Wood Oval on Saturday.

Brothers started the game at a frenetic pace but the execution saw them fail to breach the Souths defense. The first points did come to the visitors when five eighth Dallon Murphy made a run down the blind side of the ruck 25 meters out from the line. With two players in support on his outside the he was able to dummy and had showed enough pace to make it to the try line. Half back Brendan McKibbin converted from the side line to give Brothers an early lead. Souths however were the next to score. Their forwards set up the play with some drives through the centre of the field before the ball went wide and the try was scored in the corner.

The visitors dominated the remainder of the half. With an advantage in field position and possession both flankers Jules McLaughlin and David Croft were able to capitalize on some short passing and good support play to post tries near the posts. Before the break a well worked backline move saw winger Anthony Pyers find some space and with his usual pace and strength go over for Brothers fourth try. Souths had slotted a penalty goal but Brothers were well ahead at 26 - 8 at the break.

Brothers again seemed to dominate play in the early part of the second half but Souths held firm. It wasn't till the mid way point of the half that Brothers found some space out wide and centre James Harvey was able to force his way over that Brothers were able to convert the pressure into points. While Brothers had several promising moves that appeared certain to result in further points it was not to be due to both some good scrambling defense from the home team and some errors from the visitors.

Souths scored the next try to narrow the gap but Brothers had the final say. The ball was moved along the backs with replacement Damon Murphy feeding the final pass to winger Paul Doneley cutting back on a good angle to race over for the try. Brendan McKibbin added the extras for the final points of the afternoon.

Brothers 40 (D.Croft, P .Doneley, J.Harvey, J.Mclaughlin, D.Murphy, A.Pyers tries, B McKibbin 5 con) d Souths 15

John Druery

Brothers held off a determined University to secure a bonus point win and remain at the top of the competition table at St Lucia on Saturday. There were only glimpses of the attacking fluency of the Brothers team but some dogged defence managed to hold University for the majority of the game.

Brothers started the game at a frenetic pace and seemed to be pushing to score from the outset. It was however University who came away with first points via a converted try. The Brothers players allowed themselves to be isolated on a few occasions and University took advantage to win the ball or secure the free kick at the breakdown. Brothers did settle however after a period of pressure in the University territory a slick backline move saw winger Paul Doneley score in the corner. The conversion was astray but Brothers were soon in front with another try. A clever cross field kick from five eighth Dallon Murphy was gratefully received by half back Brendan McKibbin who ran over unopposed to score the try. The half back was this time successful with the conversion.

Brothers scored another try before the half time break. Following some strong work down the right wing by centre Anthony Sauer and winger Anthony Pyers the ball was fed back inside. Flanker Jules McLaughlin was, as usual, supporting the play on the inside and went over for the try. Brendan McKibbin was again successful with the conversion and Brothers had established a 19 - 7 half time lead.

Early in the second term Sam Cordingly and David Croft made their first appearances for Brothers for the season. The game itself turned into a hard defence orientated match. The ball at the breakdown was contested fiercely by both teams. Brothers made a few strong runs though the backs but were unable to convert these to points. With time running short a clever line out call 25 meters out from the University line saw the ball delivered to prop Dan Kilmartin at the front of the lineout. He popped the return pass to hooker Adam Bennie who took off up the sideline and scored out wide. The conversion attempt from Dallon Murphy went wide and score remained at 24 - 7. University had the final word however with a try out wide just before fulltime. The conversion was unsuccessful and the final score read 24 - 12 to the visitors.

Brothers 24 (A Bennie, P Doneley, B McKibbin, J McLaughlin tries; B McKibbin 2 conv) d University 12

John Druery

Brothers hosted Wests at Crosby Park on Saturday and secured the win in a fairly scrappy match. The Brothers team appeared to be on top for a lot of the game but failed to dominate and convert the pressure into points.

Brothers scored first with a good break by flanker Andrew Shaw. After breaking a few tackles and storming to within 10 meters of the line the flanker was wrapped up by the defence. As he was going to ground he managed to pop the ball to the supporting second rower Sean Ryan who crossed adjacent to the posts. The conversion from half back Brendan McKibbin gave Brothers the early lead. This was followed up with a penalty goal to further extend the lead. Prior to the half time break Brothers were in again. Brendan McKibbin took advantage of a free kick on half way. Noticing no one at the back for Wests he slotted a grubber kick behind the retreating Wests defence. Centre James Harvey followed through, secured the ball and went over for the try. The successful conversion saw Brothers out to a 17 - 0 lead at the break.

Wests made an error from the kick off to begin the second half and Brothers pushed down field on the back of the advantage. Sustained pressure eventually saw inside centre Nathanuel Gendle cross for the try. Again Brendan McKibbin was successful with the conversion and Brothers appeared to be in command. Wests were struggling to get out of there own territory and eventually the pressure told as five eighth Dallon Murphy charged down a Wests clearing kick and James Harvey was on hand to score his second of the afternoon. Brendan McKibbin kept his perfect record for the afternoon intact with the successful conversion.

However Wests struck back almost immediately and following a quick break scored there first points for the afternoon. The Wests back row started running the ball and field position lead to a penalty goal to the visitors and a 31 - 10 score line. The final 20 minutes were fairly scrappy. Brothers winger Anthony Sauer made some strong runs but Brothers failed to score again in the match. Right on fulltime some expansive play from Wests saw them again breach the Brothers defence out wide and score a second try in the corner. The successful conversion saw the fulltime score as 31 - 17.

Brothers 31(N.Gendle, J.Harvey(2), S.Ryan tries; B.McKibbin 4 conv; 1 pen) d Wests 17

John Druery

Brothers hung on to secure a win over GPS at Ashgrove on Saturday. The game was played on the third oval as rain prevented the newly finished number one oval from being used. While the edges of the field were reasonably stable the third field had a cricket pitch area in the middle that quickly resembled a glue patch due to the bad weather in the days leading up to the match.

Brothers started on the back foot and gave away a string of penalties and free kicks that saw GPS secure the first points of the game with a converted try. From the twenty minute mark Brothers started to assert some dominance and the first try came to hooker Adam Bennie who found himself amongst the backs and took full advantage. The conversion by Brendan McKibbin was successful and the half back soon added some more points with his own try. A good break in the backs saw centre James Harvey feed the ball to the halfback backing up down the middle of the park. The conversion put the visitors further in front. Winger Anthony Sauer, in his return from injury, showed his usual pace and strength to score another out wide and before half time centre Nathanuel Gendle was over for Brothers fourth following a nice interchange of passes amongst the backs. On the other wing Paul Doneley almost scored another before the break but was ruled to have lost the ball forward. Brothers took a handy 26 -10 point lead into the break.

Brothers were fast out of the blocks after half time and Nathanuel Gendle was over for his second try soon after resumption. Again the successful conversion saw Brothers in command if the match. GPS however then started a fight back and scored a converted try of their own to narrow the gap. Brothers kicked further away with a penalty goal but again the GPS team fought back strongly with another converted try. Following a kick trough from Brendan McKibbin inside the opposition quarter, flanker Andrew Shaw took the ball from the fullbacks' hands and feed wide to fellow loose forward Jules McLaughlin for the try. The conversion appeared to have Brothers safely home and they missed several opportunities to put on further points. The GPS team was not done with however and came back with two more converted tries near the end of the game. The final score saw Brothers manage to hold out the fast finishing home team.

Brothers 43 (A Bennie,N Gendle (2), B McKibbin, J McLaughlin, A Sauer tries; B McKibbin 5 conv; pen) d GPS 38

John Druery

Brothers had a rare away win over the Gold Coast on Saturday that saw them move to second on the competition ladder and secure a berth in the Welsby Cup final against Easts. At the end of the first round of competition Brothers have had 7 wins and 2 draws with no losses. Following the victory over Gold Coast Brothers also retain the Caxton Cup for another week.

Brothers started the game well and first points came with a try to five eighth Dallon Murphy. The play maker had backed up his outside men and was on the spot to take the final pass to score. The conversion by Brendan McKibbin gave Brothers an early lead. The Gold Coast team settled into the game and were soon to hit back with a try of their own to level the game. The Brothers backs were on top with strong runs by both centres Nathaneul Gendle and James Harvey causing some trouble for their opposites. Some rushed passes and spilt balls saw some opportunities go to waste before Paul Doneley latched onto an awkward pass and forced his way over for his first try of the afternoon. The conversion was successful and Brothers were soon to extend their lead when another slick backline move saw the winger Doneley in a gap and over for a try near the posts. The conversion was again on target. Close to halftime Doneley scored his third try for the day. The ball came to the far side of the field and given a little space the little flyer was over in the corner. On this occasion the conversion went wide but Brothers had already secured a bonus point and a handy lead a half time.

Gold Coast fought back in the early stages of the second period. Some good ball movement saw them score a converted try early in the half to narrow the gap. This heralded an extended period where the Gold Coast dominated sections of play and a third try to the home team narrowed the gap to just 5 points at 26-21. Brothers settled the play down and worked on maintaining field position and possession. A series of free kicks assisted but the Gold Coast defence held firm and finally when a penalty was offered Brendan McKibbin took the points to give the visitors and eight point buffer. Brothers withstood a period of attack from the Gold Coast as they struggled to bridge the gap. A relieving kick down field got Brothers out of trouble and they seemed certain to score when the half back McKibbin a break, but he lost the ball close to the line. Brothers maintained territorial dominance and a charge down and regather from James Harvey saw Brendan McKibbin on the spot to take the pass and score adjacent to the posts. The conversion extended the lead to 36 - 21 and Brothers seemed to be safe. Gold Coast however played with great commitment and went on the attack with only some strong defence stopping the home team from scoring. On one of these raids near half way the ball went loose amongst the Gold Coast backs and was swooped on by Brothers winger Anthony Pyers who raced away to score the try. Brendan McKibbin again converted for the final points of the game.

Brothers 43 (P Doneley 3; D Murphy; B McKibbin; A Pyers tries: B McKibbin 5 conv; pen) d Gold Coast 21

John Druery

Brothers maintained their unbeaten start to the season and gave Norths their first defeat of 2008 at Crosby Park on Saturday. The win saw Brothers take possession of the Caxton Cup.

The game was intense as would be expected with two of the leading teams facing each other. Brothers first points came from a Brendan McKibbin penalty goal. The Brothers defence was a strong point in the opening exchanges and thwarted many of Norths attempts to move the ball around. It was while Brothers were on attack in the opposition quarter that the first try came, but it was at the other end as the Norths five eighth plucked an intercept and ran away for a try out in the corner. The conversion handed the visitors the lead. Brothers hit back with outside centre James Harvey scoring a try, subsequently converted by McKibbin to give Brothers back the lead. A Norths penalty goal met with a Brothers response in kind as the first half closed 13 -10 in favour of the home team.

Brothers had the better of the second half and aided by a breeze they dominated field position. Again the Brothers defence kept Norths pinned in their own territory for extended periods. The pressure finally resulted in points as flanker Andrew Shaw drove over the line from a maul close to the line. The conversion put Brothers ahead 20 - 10. Several promising Brothers raids came to nothing as the team pushed hard to the try line only to come up short on several occasions. Finally a deft cross field kick from five eighth Dallon Murphy landed in the arms of winger Paul Doneley to score out wide. The conversion missed and Brothers led 25 - 10. The large Norths contingent on the hill were quiet in the second half but found their voice when Norths scored a converted try following a series of free kicks. Even at this point the home team held an eight point break on the visitors with a 25 - 17 score line. In the closing stages Brothers steadied and added a further penalty for a 28 - 10 final score.

Brothers 28 (J Harvey, A Shaw, P Doneley tries; B McKibbin 2 conv, 3 pen) d Norths 17

John Druery

Brothers travelled to the Sunshine Coast to take on the Stingrays on Saturday and come away with a bonus point win. The scoreboard showed a tit for tat first half but Brothers ran away with the game in the second half.

Brothers started well with a slick backline move making good ground and five eighth Dallon Murphy backed up to score a good try. Half back Brendan McKibbin slotted the conversion for an early lead to Brothers. Sunshine Coast hit back soon after. The home team made good ground through their forwards and forced their way over for a try. The successful conversion levelled the scores. The game then moved from one end of the field to the other with neither side dominating the other. Field position saw Brendan McKibbin slot a penalty goal but this was soon answered with a penalty goal to the coast team. Another penalty to Brothers saw them take the lead again but as before the Sunshine Coast hit back with a penalty of their own soon after. With the scores at 13 all leading into half time the Brothers backs again made inroads out wide and winger Anthony Pyers went over for a try. The conversion gave Brothers a 20 - 13 lead at the break after what had been an evenly matched contest.

Things changed in the second half. Brothers had the advantage of a breeze and Dallon Murphy kicked well to keep Brothers in good field position. Sustained pressure in the Sunshine Coast quarter saw replacement centre Patrick McGill go in for a try off a nice pass from Dallon Murphy. The conversion edged Brothers further in front. Before long Brothers were in again, this time winger Paul Doneley benefiting from a good interchange of passes between the backs to score his first try of the afternoon. Sunshine Coast kept trying and again made ground through their forwards. Deep on attack a loose pass from the home team backs saw Paul Doneley seize the intercept and run 90 meters to score his second try. He wasn't finished and later scored his third from a well placed cross field kick. Brothers kept the Sunshine Coast scoreless in the second half and ran out winners 44 - 13.

Brothers 44 (P Doneley 3, A Pyers, D Murphy, P McGill tries; B McKibbin 4 conv, 2 pen) d Sunshine Coast 13

John Druery

Brothers hosted Sunnybank in an entertaining clash at Crosby Park on Saturday. Both teams scored 5 tries but the boot of Brendan McKibbin made the difference.

Both teams started in an attacking frame of mind and Brothers squandered several chances with passes going astray when on the attack. Both centre Anthony Sauer and half back Brendan McKibbin initiated breaks. Sunnybank were the first side to come away with points with an early try. Brothers hit back and a strong run from centre Nathanuel Gendle saw him charge over under the posts. The conversion from McKibbin saw Brothers leading 7 - 5. It wasn't long however before Sunnybank were over again to regain the lead. A penalty goal put them further ahead leading into half time at 15 - 7. Brothers however weren't done and some sustained pressure on the Sunnybank line saw hooker Adam Bennie collect a loose ball from the back of a maul and barge his way over. The conversion saw a 15 - 14 half time score line in favour of the visitors.

There was some strong defensive work from the Brothers forwards in the opening stages of the second half. No 8 Simon Price and props Dan Kilmartin and Adrian Dixon were especially prominent. Brothers turned field position into points with a penalty goal to claim the lead. On the next visit to the Sunnybank line a series of free kicks saw Brothers build pressure. With one free kick halfback Brendan McKibbin seemed to go the wrong way as the ball was directed to outnumbered winger Paul Doneley, but the speedster aimed for a gap between the defenders and scored a fine try. The conversion put Brothers further in front at 24 - 15. Brothers further backed this up with another penalty goal but from the restart let Sunnybank back in. Brothers failed to secure the ball from the kick off and Sunnybank took full advantage with some quick ball movement leading to a converted try to come back into the game.

Brothers however put the pressure back on Sunnybank and a well worked backline move from a scrum saw Paul Doneley slice through the Sunnybank centres to score under the posts. The conversion gave Brothers a 34 - 22 point lead. Sunnybank hit back again with another try to stay in touch. The Brothers team however were efficient in moving the ball back down field. Again a series of free kicks to the home team saw Brendan McKibbin create a try. A quick tap and short rune were followed with a perfectly placed kick over the Sunnybank defence. Fullback Damon Murphy timed his run to perfection grabbing the ball on the full and scoring the try. The conversion saw Brothers with a very handy 44 - 29 lead going into the final part of the game. Sunnybank kept trying and were rewarded with a try near full time for the final score of 44 - 36.

Brothers 44 (P Doneley 2, N Gendle, D Murphy, A Bennie tries; B McKibbin 5 conv; 3 pen) d Sunnybank 36.

John Druery

Brothers were held to their second draw of the year by Souths at Crosby Park on Saturday. Brothers started well and seemed to have the better of the opening exchanges. Considerable time was spent in the attacking quarter but a combination of some good defense from the visitors and poor execution and a lack of patience from Brothers saw them fail to convert any of the chances into points.

After 10 minutes Brothers were reduced to 14 men with hooker Dugald Asprey sin binned. During this absence Souths took advantage of the numerical superiority and scored two tries for a 12 -0 lead. However just before half time the home team were back in the game with a try. With a Souths forward in the sin bin, a string of free kicks to Brothers saw them maintain pressure on the Souths line. Flanker Andrew Shaw peeled off the back of a maul to score. Brendan McKibbin added the conversion and the half time score was 12 - 7 to the visitors.

Souths scored first after the break with a penalty goal to take the score to 15 - 7. They followed this up with a converted try to go further ahead before Brothers finally were spurred into action. The spark for the comeback was definitely provided by half back Brendan McKibbin. He made several long runs from the back of the ruck and scrum to set up space for his outside players. Brendan scored one try himself, which he subsequently converted, and added a penalty. Centre James Harvey made a break and seemed certain to score before being pulled down in the last line of defense. He managed however to pop the ball to the trailing Brad Hunt who scored the try. With the scores level at 22 all, Brendan McKibbin's conversion attempt hit the post. Both sides had further opportunities to add points. Strong runs by winger Anthony Pyers and fullback Anthony Sauer went unrewarded. Brendan McKibbin was unlucky not score a second try when he fielded a centre kick from Anthony Sauer and look set to run to the line when his own knee knocked the ball from his grasp. Souths missed with a late penalty and the full time whistle sounded with Brothers on the attack but the score level at 22 all.

Brothers 22 (B Hunt, A Shaw, B McKibbin tries, B McKibbin 2 con, pen) v Souths 22

John Druery

Brothers retained the Templeton McLean Trophy with a close win over University at Crosby Park on Saturday. The improvement in Brothers play evident the previous week against Wests vanished as the game became a hard fought slog. University played well to upset Brothers rhythm and were strong defensively. They had the ascendancy at the breakdown for long periods of the match and benefited from Brothers earning the wrath of the referee in defensive situations.

University started strongly and gained first points from a kick and regather leading to a converted try. Brothers responded with a successful penalty goal to half back Brendan McKibbin. An earlier attempt had hit the post and bounced back into play. Wing Anthony Sauer made some searching runs down the flank and showed great strength in the contact situation to retain the ball for his team. After a period of sustained pressure Brothers worked a nice backline move from a scrum that saw outside centre Pat Magill slice over out wide. Brendan McKibbin converted and Brothers had a 10 - 7 half time lead.

University scored first again after the break with a penalty goal to level the scores. Brothers were running into a strong breeze in the second period and University used it to advantage to hold field position in the Brothers half. Some strong runs around the ruck from the Brothers forwards, in particular flanker Andrew Shaw, helped the home team work up field. Winger Paul Doneley made one incisive break that seemed to lead to a try only for the final pass to be ruled forward. Finally the Brothers pressure told and Brendan McKibbin drove over from a ruck close to the University line. He converted and Brothers were again ahead 17 - 10. University struck back however and made a nice move down the edge of the field leading to a try under the posts. This was converted and the scores were again level.

Following another period of attack in the University half Brendan McKibbin again scored a try from the back of a ruck. On this occasion he spectacularly dived over his team mates and the University players on the ground in front of him to score directly behind the area of the ruck. The conversion saw Brothers ahead 24 - 17 with minutes left. University had field position over the closing stages of the game and following a penalty moved the ball wide out numbering the Brothers defence and scoring a try. With time up on the clock the University goal kicker lined up the conversion attempt to draw the game. The kick however floated across the face of the goal posts and Brothers were lucky to escape with a 24 - 22 victory.

Brothers 24 (P Magill, B McKibbin 2 tries; B McKibbin 3 conv; 1 pen) defeated University 22

John Druery

Brothers traveled to Sylvan Rd to take on Wests in Round 3 of the premiership on Saturday and came away with a strong bonus point win. Wests welcomed back several players to their team from the Queensland Reds squad but the Brothers team more than matched their opponents. In particular the back row of flankers Jules McLaughlin and Andrew Shaw and No 8 Simon Price together with half back Brendan McKibbin outplayed their rivals.

Wests started the better of the teams and looked to have scored early on. Brothers withstood the onslaught and fought back into the Wests half some strong runs by both wingers Anthony Sauer and Paul Doneley assisted in giving Brothers field position. After the first 10 minutes Brothers had the better of the first half. First points came to a strong run from centre Nathaneul Gendle as he made a break in close to the ruck and used his strength to get over near the posts. Brendan McKibbin converted for a 7-0 lead to Brothers. There were several more try scoring chances for the visitors in the first period that went to waste but two penalty goals gave Brothers a 13 - 0 half time lead.

With the back row working hard Brothers maintained their dominant field position at the start of the second period. A further penalty goal put them out to a 16 - 0 lead. The position in the lead was reinforced as centre James Harvey followed some good driving play by the forwards and scored adjacent to the posts. The conversion put Brothers further ahead at 23 - 0. The Brothers field position again was a decisive factor in James Harvey's second try. Wests tried to run the ball from their own quarter but when a chip ahead was attempted to find some space the ball lobbed into the Brothers centre hands and he strolled over for a try. The conversion went astray but by midway through the half Brothers had a strong lead. Wests then hit back with a try and conversion. Any hopes of a fight back were snuffed out soon afterwards however as Brothers scored their forth try and picked up the bonus point. A well worked move from an attacking lineout in the Wests quarter saw five eighth Dallon Murphy put Paul Doneley through a gap and over under the posts. The conversion from Brendan McKibbin put Brothers in an unbeatable position at 35 - 7. Wests scored a consolation try in the closing stages for a final score line of 35 - 14.

Brothers 35 (J Harvey 2, N Gendle, P Doneley tries, B McKibbin 3 pen, 3 con) def Wests 14

John Druery

Brothers met Easts at Crosby Park on Saturday and managed to win an ugly game of rugby. The weather was not conducive to a bright game. Easts had the benefit of a strong breeze from the south at their backs in the first half. As Brothers turned at half time hoping to get some field advantage the rain came down and slowed the match even further.

Easts started brightly and had the better of the opening exchanges but only secured a penalty. Brothers hit back and after a period of dominance in the Easts territory came away with two penalty goals from half back, and stand in captain for the injured Liam Shaw, Brendan McKibbin. Easts utilised the strong breeze and answered with another penalty goal. A series of indiscretions by Brothers at the breakdown saw Easts again get easy meters downfield. As a result of the run of penalties to visitors Brothers prop Dan Kilmartin was sinned binned with minutes left to the break. The Easts attempt at goal from the penalty went wide and it was 6-6 at the break. Andrew Shaw at No 8 had made some strong runs in close during the first half and on one of the few opportunities available the Brothers backs moved the ball wide for wing Anthony Sauer to make a good break down field.

Brothers started the second period with the breeze behind them but still had difficulty clearing their own territory. Just as Dan Kilmartin came back on to return Brothers to the full complement, Brendan McKibbin was yellow carded leaving the team a man down for another ten minutes. The Brothers half back gained some level of redemption with a long range penalty goal later in the match to give his team a lift. This was one of four successful penalty goals plus a conversion that came from his boot during the game. Prior to this Easts had taken the lead with a converted try. However Brothers hit back within minutes and scores were locked up again with a converted try to Anthony Sauer. It was then the boot of half back Brendan McKibbin that proved the difference with two penalty goals and a six point victory to the home side. Brothers showed some strong defence in the later periods of the game to hold Easts out.

Brothers 19 (A Sauer try, B McKibbin con, 4 pen) def Easts 13

John Druery

The Trinity Premier Grade competition kicked off with Brothers at home to GPS at Crosby Park on Saturday. The opening exchanges were at times brutal and it wasn't long before a Brothers captain, Liam Shaw, and a GPS forward were both sin binned following an altercation involving several players. While these players were on the sideline Brothers half back, Brendan McKibbin was hit high after a sniping run downfield. Hooker Dugald Asprey came into the fray in response to the incident and was marched to the sin bin as well, leaving Brothers with 13 players to GPS 14.

While short handed the Brothers defence cracked and GPS scored a try which was subsequently converted. This added to an earlier penalty goal for a 10 point to nil lead. Brothers came back and secured field position leading to a successful penalty attempt by Brendan McKibbin. These were Brothers only points of the first period. However GPS weren't finished and with Brothers hard on attack 20 meters out from the opposition line a pass directed from the centres out wide was intercepted by the GPS fullback. In an eighty metre race to line Brothers winger Paul Doneley managed to rein in the GPS player but unfortunately fell off the tackle a few meters short of the line and GPS had scored under the posts against the run of play. The conversion provided the half time score of 17 - 3 in favour of the visitors.

Brothers used the break to advantage and came out with much greater composure in the second term. They generally had the better of the half and looked likely to score on several occasions. Second rower Sean Ryan was over the line but ruled to have dropped the ball, Brendan McKibbin took off from a quick tap, making in roads as he did all day, and looked to have scored but was ruled to have been stopped short of the line. Eventually a wayward clearing kick from GPS went to fullback Angus McLean who took on the defence and released winger Anthony Sauer to race over for the try. The fullback had made several penetrating runs in counter attack during the afternoon in a sound display at the back. Debut five eighth Dallon Murphy created some opportunities for his backs to run through holes in the GPS defence and outside centre James Harvey scored from one of these opportunities. With the scores locked at 17 all Brendan McKibbin missed with a close range field goal. Brothers stayed hard on attack and generally had the better of the play but no further points were forth coming. Several strong runs from prop & player of the match Dan Kilmartin, making his Premier Grade debut for Brothers, were highlights of the second term. Number 8 Andrew Shaw, the other debutant on the day, made a solid contribution in the tight work and showed great eagerness in crashing the ball into the opposing forwards.

Brothers 17 (A Sauer, J Harvey tries: B McKibbin 2 conv, 1pen) drew GPS 17

John Druery