Easts Tigers came home with a flurry but it was not enough as they felt short 28-26 against Redcliffe Dolphins.
The game resembled a true arm wrestle as both sides enjoyed their share momentum throughout the game.
Easts struck first through Christian Welch in the 26th minute before a lapse late in the second half proved the turning point.
Aaron Whitchurch and Darren Nicholls scored two tries in four minutes to give the Dolphins a 12-4 half-time lead.
The home side piled on another three of the next four tries and looked to have the points in the bag before a flurry of three Tiger tries in 13 minutes had Easts back within touching distance.
However there was too much left to do for the Tigers as the Dolphins hung on to remain in second spot on the Intrust Super Cup ladder.
Cheyse Blair took another step forward in his return from injury while several forwards provided a strong showing.
“Cheyse Blair was very good, a lot better than last week. He ran for over 100m in the centres and had a couple of good breaks,” Easts coach Scott Sipple said.
“He was good for the run… he got through the 80 minutes well. Get a few more games under his belt and he will be hitting his straps.
“Christian Welch was a lot better this week, he got through 60 minutes and so did Britty (Dean Britt) while Franky (Francis Tualau) added some punch off the bench.”
Easts will host Souths Logan Magpies this Sunday at Suzuki Field.
Easts Tigers 26
Tries: Jake Foster 2, Christian Welch, Dane Chang, Billy Walters
Goals: Billy Walters 3
Redcliffe Dolphins 28
Tries: Darren Nicholls 2, Aaron Whitchurch, Evander Cummins, Tyson Cleal
Goals: Darren Nicholls 4
