The Taniela Tupou show has been stunted by a brutal display of physicality as Norths beat Brothers 27-5 to claim the Australian Club Championship at Crosby Park.
Tupou played 40 minutes and did not disappoint with a pair of his trademark runs but he was otherwise kept quiet by a well-drilled Norths outfit.
The visitors bashed Brothers at the breakdown and dominated territory with opportune kicking to put the home side under constant pressure.
Norths openside flanker Will Miller was a menace at the breakdown and Richard Woolf showed serious pace on the right hand wing, threatening the Brothers line with every touch.
Brothers lacked attacking fluency, botched six lineouts in the first-half and were hammered at the breakdown but most importantly, they hung in.
Despite their dominance, it took Norths 35 minutes to convert pressure into points.
It took some individual brilliance from Con Foley to break the deadlock.
The former Aussie Sevens star, who has switched back to the 15-man game, juked off his right foot to split a pair of Brothers defenders and run 30m to score under the posts and notch a 7-0 lead at half-time.
Speaking after the match, Foley was full of praise for a forward pack which bashed Brothers at the breakdown.
"My job was pretty simple, I slotted in pretty easily because all of their patterns and their team play is down pat," he said.
"I can just fit right into that."
Born and raised in Brisbane, Foley also expanded on his quest to crack Super Rugby.
"The goal for me is to play Super Rugby," he said.
"I'd love to come home but I'd be pretty happy to go home to wherever will have me."
Brothers looked a different team from the outset of the second term and immediately made it one try each.
Right wing Will Shipperley created space with a strong run before getting up from being tackled and involving himself in the next play to put fullback Mitch Felsman away down the right hand sideline, who threw a perfect pass across the face of a Norths cover defender to put Wall in for a try.
But their impact on the game ended there, as Norths started to re-assert their dominance around the park.
Harry Emery had kicked his first penalty of the afternoon from 10m out just three minutes after Wall's try to open up a 10-5 lead.
Replacement prop Gary Baultz then extended the Norths lead through a set lineout play, peeling off the back of a rolling maul to the blindside after they sucked defenders to the strong side of the ground.
George Murrin crossed for the final nail in the coffin with five minutes to play in what was a dominant display in front of 2000 fans at Crosby Park.
RESULT
Brothers 5Tries: Wall
Norths 27
Tries: Foley, Baultz, Murrin
Cons: Emery, Murray 2
Pens: Emery 2
