ON the surface it read like another mismatch for the Newcastle Wildfires - a 46-11 loss to Shute Shield powerhouse Eastwood.
But the scoreline, which was blown out in the final 20 minutes, was anything but a reflection of the fierce contest at No.2 Sportsground on Saturday.
The Wildfires, although down 13-11, had momentum early in the second half and an upset seemed a real possibility. In the end, it took a rev-up by Eastwood coach Ben Batger for the visitors to lift and run away against a tiring home side.
Although the result was similar to the Wildfires' 50-7 defeat to Randwick in the season-opener, the performances was miles ahead.
"When I do the video review, I will definitely get a lot out of it," Wildfires coach Scott Coleman said. "It was another learning experience. We were pleased, but there is still lots to work on.
"We said from the start that we won't hit our peak until round five. Whether we are winning games by then, I don't know."
Veteran lock, Seva Rokobaro, was outstanding.
He carried the ball forward, provided a rock behind tighthead Nick Dobson in the scrum and combined with Ben Ham to control Eastwood man mountain Pat Sio.
Halfback Mahe Fangupo was sharp, jumped out of halfback to get his forward runners going and put the Woodies' back three under pressure with well-placed box-kicks.
Lachy Miller backed up his man-of-the match effort against Randwick with another whole-hearted effort and openside Shawn Ingle also got through a power of work.
Out wide, Hayde Cole marshalled the defence from outside centre, Chad Northcott was a constant threat returning the football and winger Nimi Qio was far more involved.
Brendan Holliday's kicking game was much improved and he produced some deft passes to get his outside men into space.
Connor Mulhearn tackled his heart out at inside centre after replacing Taulogo Lalaga, who strained his hamstring midway through the first half.
