Cessnock coach Harry Siejka was pleased with the result but lamented his side's slow start after the Goannas were again forced to come from behind in a win over Lakes United on Saturday.
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In what is becoming somewhat of a trend for the league leaders of falling behind early on, and a week after they escaped with a 20-18 win over Macquarie after trailing 18-6, Cessnock fought back from 12-4 down to defeat Lakes 26-12 at Abermain.
Lakes scored first in one of their opening sets and went into the second stanza with an eight-point lead.
But Cessnock hit back through hooker Luke Huth a few minutes after the break in what would be the first of four unanswered tries.
The win was Cessnock's sixth in eight games and leaves them in first position, unbeaten after nine rounds.
"It's pleasing that we can run teams down, but we're just making it too hard for ourselves," Siejka said.
Down the road at Kurri Kurri, The Entrance thrashed the struggling Bulldogs for the second time in little more than a month, claiming a 54-22 win which followed a 62-10 victory in May.
It continued the Tigers' recent run of form, winning four of their past five games.
On Sunday, Souths winger Mapu Uasi crossed for four tries in a 38-8 victory over Wyong at Townson Oval.
In the two postponed games, Macquarie and Central will now meet at St John Oval on Tuesday night. Northern and Wests will play at Tomaree on August 10.
POINTS TABLE: Cessnock (16), Maitland (15), The Entrance, Souths, (12), Wests (11), Central (10), Wyong (8), Lakes (7), Macquarie (6), Kurri (3), Northern (2).
