A SECOND-half surge lifted Wests to their second consecutive victory and put them ahead in the race for the last John I Dent Cup finals position yesterday.
Leading by 16 points at half-time, Wests found their attacking groove and ran in four second-half tries to beat Easts 41-20 at Jamison Oval.
The Wests' back line clicked immediately after the break to snuff out any hope Easts had of getting back into the game.
Despite sitting clear in fourth place with just three rounds remaining, coach Craig Robberds said his team had to improve if it wanted to be a premiership contender.
Wests have failed to beat any of the top-three teams Royals, Queanbeyan and Tuggeranong.
''It was a bit scrappy and our intensity dropped off towards the end which was a bit disappointing, but our first half was great so I can't complain,'' Robberds said.
''Once you get to the semis the season counts for nothing and we've got to make sure we secure that spot in the finals with our next two games.''
For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times
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