The Canterbury Bulldogs overcame a strong first-half defensive showing by the Wests Tigers to claim a 36-20 victory.
Jarrod McInally had a strong performance on the wing for the Bulldogs, capturing a hat-rick of tries, having a hand in another and making multiple line-breaks.
Kurtis Rowe and Chance Peni were heavily involved for the Wests Tigers, as they scored two tries each and continually exposed the Bulldogs' right-side defence.
While the result of the match had little impact on the ladder for either side, the strong attacking prowess possessed by the Bulldogs will certainly increase their confidence on the eve of the finals.
The match began with the Bulldogs conceding four penalties in the opening five minutes, which gifted the Wests Tigers field position and allowed them to build immediate pressure.
Off the back of their fifth penalty, Rowe picked the ball up from dummy half, skipped through the Bulldogs' defence and easily planted the ball down in the corner.
The next 15 minutes saw some Wests Tigers defence that was nothing short of inspirational.
They defended four consecutive sets on their line, before having one attacking set and then defending two more.
The incredible defence finally cracked in the 26th minute when McInally picked up a wayward pass and charged through the fractured defensive line to power his way to the try line.
Bulldogs fullback Lindon McGrady completed back-to-back tries off the kickoff set after a strong run by Makahesi Makatoa to take the lead for the first time to 12-6.
Wests Tigers had various opportunities after a Josh Drinkwater 40/20, but they were penalised for a double movement and did not take advantage of a huge overlap before they eventually scored in the left corner through Peni.
Drinkwater slotted the conversion from the sideline to lock up the scores at 12-all which was the halftime score.
Matt Frawley forced a dropout for the Bulldogs six minutes into the second half, before George Tsikrikas crashed over after receiving an amazing offload by Adam Elliott.
An incredible Bulldogs try off the kickoff set increased their lead to 24-12. Frawley put a grubber towards the left sideline, and McInally miraculously tapped it back into the field of play, before it went through various sets of hands for Jaline Graham to score.
Peni hit back for the Wests Tigers in the 55th minute as he broke through the line and showed serious speed to score his second try of the night.
Peni had a hand in their next try just eight minutes later, as he exposed the Bulldogs right-side defence yet again by making a run down the sideline and giving the ball to Rowe to bag his second try.
However, any hope at a comeback was quashed when two minutes later, as McInally had his second try after a perfect double-pump by Chase Stanley allowed him to score.
Frawley helped the Bulldogs increase their lead to 32-20 after he kicked the ball into the legs of a Wests Tigers defender, and Elliott picked up the scraps to score a simple try.
McInally completed his hat-trick with five minutes remaining after he plucked the ball out of the air and planted it down in the left corner.
The win means the Bulldogs remain in fifth position and will take on the North Sydney Bears next Saturday at Belmore Oval.
