DORA Creek went on a remarkable second-half scoring blitz to down Windale 50-28 in their Newcastle and Hunter Rugby League A-Grade match on Saturday.
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Dora Creek remains unbeaten after 10 rounds.
But the final scoreline didn't reflect the pressure the Swampies were under at Neville Thompson Oval.
Windale led 14-nil after 15 minutes, and went to the break leading 22-18.
Windale out-enthused and out-played the home team in the opening stanza, and an upset win must have seemed likely to the visitors.
But Dora Creek's response to the challenge was impressive.
While the Swampies might have been expected to play a nervous and conservative style of football in the wet and blustery conditions of the second half, what they produced caught everyone by surprise.
Dora Creek played with width and freedom, and ran in a string of tries - including some long-range efforts - which changed the game.
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Dora Creek coach David Hoban said wet weather forced his team to cancel their Tuesday night training session, but they made up for it on Thursday when former NSW State of Origin and NRL premiership winner Brett Finch helped to run the session.
"Brett is a mate of mine and I thought it would be a good idea to get him up and run a fresh set of eyes over our team structures and give the boys - especially our halves - some extra tips and coaching," Hoban said.
The coach said his team was not at its best in the first stanza.
This season, Dora Creek had made a habit of tackling its way to a win when under pressure.
On Saturday, the Swampies showed they could also play their way out of trouble with skill and ball movement.
"At half time we spoke about another challenge being thrown at us which we had to overcome," Hoban said.
"Windale were very energetic and threw everything at us. We spoke about being patient and composed and getting back to what has worked well for us all year.
"The boys were positive at half time and we dominated the second half with some early tries to centre Scott Fitzpatrick and front-rower Diamond Charlie."
Back-rower Jarhn Komene crossed for a crowd-pleasing try following a long run on which he shaped to pass to supports several times, keeping defenders at bay.
Charlie, halfback Paddy Murphy, winger Todd Murphy and back-rower Kye Howarth were outstanding, Hoban said.
