A hard week on the training track and a mixture of defensive steel and attacking skill inspired the Bulldogs to a come-from-behind 26-18 NRL win over South Sydney at ANZ Stadium yesterday.
The second-placed Bulldogs trailed 12-0 inside 14 minutes and 18-10 at half-time.
After looking shell shocked in the first quarter the Bulldogs ramped up their defence, scoring 16 unanswered points in the second half.
The victory kept the Bulldogs firmly entrenched in second spot and poised to build momentum for a run into a finals campaign.
Coach Kevin Moore said he had lifted the intensity at training during the week after going easier on his charges following a period of travel and representative commitments.
''From a coaching point of view we purposely took the foot off the pedal a little bit and now the noses are back to the grindstone and we need to work really hard over the next few weeks,'' Moore said.
''I can see the more footy we play the better we are going to get.''
He was adamant his team could improve despite a near flawless second-half performance and said it needed to finish games strongly, as it did against the Rabbitohs.
The loss left Souths three points outside the eight and their next four games are all against teams currently in that top half of the table.
Souths coach Jason Taylor initially responded to a query about his side's finals chances by saying that issue was ''irrelevant'' before giving Rabbitohs supporters some hope.
''They [the finals] will be in reach depending on what we do over the next few weeks, but we've got to learn from today,'' Taylor said.
Veteran winger Hazem El Masri finished with 16 points, scoring two of the Bulldogs' four tries, with fellow winger Bryson Goodwin and centre Josh Morris also scoring four-pointers.
Goodwin's effort in the 61st minute, which gave the Bulldogs the lead for the first and decisive time in the match, was exceptional.
Showing great savvy and skill, he planted the ball with his left hand in that corner of the field despite being tackled by opposing winger Jamie Simpson and having virtually no room to spare near the touch line.
''I was just trying to look for somewhere to go and there was nowhere to go, so I thought I'd try and jump into the corner and I just got it down,'' Goodwin said.
It was his 16th try in 17 games this season and his stunning finish and overall form was lauded by Moore.
''It was brilliant, it was outstanding wasn't it? Moore said. ''He's got the biggest hands I've ever shaken, so he's got a fair advantage.''
The Bulldogs coach was understandably delighted with his team's composure and refusal to panic after a shocking start in which it conceded two converted tries to fullback Nathan Merritt and lock David Fa'alogo.
Rabbitohs prop Luke Stuart was placed on report for a tackle on David Stagg.
However, it appeared the wrong player was booked as Ben Lowe and Issac Luke were involved in the incident in which the Bulldog forward dropped to the ground head first. AAP
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