In the worst opening imaginable, Thunder trailed 14-0 after 17 minutes with the new-look combination in complete disarray.

But the wise heads of Ben Jeffery, Jon Huggett, Jack Watson, Jay Little and Shannon Rupapre didn’t panic and helped the home team slam on the next 30 points of the match.

The win leaves the injury-hit Thunder inside the top five with the general bye and bye to come in the next fortnight.

“Our starts have been poor all year and it’s something we need to fix,” Jeffery said.

“It’s just a huge relief to win though.

“We were under a lot of pressure and the boys responded really well.

“Today was a big win for us as it goes a long way towards getting us into the finals.

“We can have a bit of a breather and get ourselves right.

“I don’t think we’re in a bad position.”

Riverina representatives David and Andrew Cowhan are good chances of playing in Albury’s next match while Huggett will also be in better shape after carrying a thumb injury against the Wagga side.

Izzy Rawhiti will also be available after returning to New Zealand for a funeral.

Brothers exploded out of the blocks on the back of captain-coach Ben Black’s kicking game with Ethan McKenzie, Kirren Roughley and Harold Kirby scoring the opening three tries to lead 14-0.

It looked a matter of how far before Thunder started to complete their sets and were rewarded with quick tries to Watson, Curtis Ried and Alex Jones to level the scores at 14-all at half-time.

Then it was Jeffery’s time to shine.

He scored a brilliant try soon after half-time from his own chip kick and followed up in the 50^th minute to open up a 24-14 buffer.

Brothers looked out of ideas and fitness as Rex Sargeant scored the sealer in the dying stages to give Thunder a much-needed victory.

Black was disappointed with the way his charges fell away after they appeared on track to clinch their first victory at the ground since September 4, 2010.

“We had our chance but didn’t take it,” Black said.

Albury’s win elevated it to fourth spot on the ladder with Young replacing Temora in the five after it brought down the Dragons 20-14.

Meanwhile, Thunder’s LeagueTag side scored arguably its finest win when it edged out perennial powerhouse Brothers.

Rain forced officials to abandon the country championship finals in Wollongong on Saturday.