The Brookers were dealt a blow with inspirational co-coach Jarrod Twitt (corked thigh) and former Wodonga teammate Brad Thompson (foot) forced to sit out the second half with injury.

Down by nine points at the main break, Holbrook mounted a spirited fight back to kick six goals to four in the second half and snatch a thrilling 12.8 (80) to 11.10 (76) victory.

Burly ruckman Sandy Hamilton was the hero for the Brookers when he slotted the match-winner from hard up against the boundary line with less than five minutes remaining.

Hamilton clinched best on ground honours narrowly from Andrew Mackinlay, who booted six goals, and ball magnet Brett Doswell.

Twitt said it was a huge turnaround after the Brookers were trounced by 99-points in their season opener against Osborne the previous week.

“It’s fair to say we had a shocker last week and were under-manned and our kids probably weren’t ready,” Twitt said.

“But we spent a lot of time with the kids this week and on our game plan and they were excellent.

“That’s the thing with kids — their form can fluctuate wildly from one week to the next.”

Jindera’s loss was further compounded by a knee injury to coach Josh Walker in the first term.

Prized North Albury recruit Matt McDonald was the Bulldogs’ best, alongside youngster Nick Nott and Taylor Schultz.