The Bears were dominant in the first period, having the bulk of the possession courtesy of Illawarra's continual poor discipline and unsatisfactory completion rate. The visitors were the first to trouble the scorers when experienced campaigner Dane Nielsen collected a wayward cross field kick to place the ball over the stripe. 

Braidon Burns crossed for the Bears second before an intercept try by Illawarra’s Jai Field in the shadows of half time would narrow the visitors lead to 8-6.  In typical Illawarra style, the scarlet and white came out in the second half all guns blazing, scoring immediately after the intermission through winger Izaac Thompson.

Illawarra had a further two opportunities to score within the third quarter, though both Pat Herbert and Josh Kerr would fumble the ball over the stripe. Thompson’s four-pointer proved to be the only highlight for the hosts in the second stanza, who again couldn’t hold the steeden, etching a completion rate of just twenty-three percent. Norths made the defending premiers pay for their mistakes, running in three second half tries to Cheyne Whitelaw, Tautalatasi Tasi and Neilson, who bagged his double. 

Luke Kelly added a little polish to his sides performance, kicking a field goal in the final stages of the game, to secure a 23-10 victory. Illawarra will now look to bounce back against Wentworthville on Sunday.