Bulldogs win rises hopes but the battle's only just begun.

Just when it appeared the Wests Tigers were about to fade in to an "also ran" and begin to hope for a better 2015 the Tigers breathed fresh life in to their 2014 campaign with a dominant 46-18 thumping of joint leaders Canterbury on Sunday. The Bulldogs may have been poor but they may not have beaten the Tigers on a better day anyways as Wests turned in their best performance since the early rounds of the season.

Wests simply took on the Dogs where they were strongest and then relied on finesse and craft to exploit the Dogs out wide and on the edges. Young fullback Mitchell Moses underlined his ability with a stellar performance as he tore the Bulldogs up. Moses' ability to step up in to first or second receiver caused many problems for the Bulldogs who were probably more concerned with the trio of Robbie Farah, Luke Brooks and Blake Austin before the game.

To be fair Moses' first 2 games had shown subtle glimpses of what he can do but largely he'd been solid if not unspectacular. It was Moses' desire to step up to the challenge on the weekend and it paid off with devastating effect. His combination with Brooks was obvious but his work in feeding his outside backs, in this case Keith Lulia, had class written all over it.  

Lulia himself had perhaps his best NRL game ever. 4 tries was a brilliant effort and for two of them he did ever so well with. With David Nofoaluma gone for the year Wests have a guy in Lulia who can replace him adequately. 

The performance from the Wests Tigers forward pack is to be commended too. The Bulldogs failed to even run for a 1000 metres on Sunday, some near 600 less than the Tigers. Credit must go to the Tigers who won the battle in the middle of the park, particularly after half time where the Bulldogs rarely got a look in inside the Tigers red zone. Their hard work made it easier for the likes of Farah, Austin, Brooks and Moses to do their work.

So for now the Tigers sit 9th on the table but know a win next weekend will likely move them back into the top 8. Sunday's win has raised spirits and beliefs that the top 8 dream is still alive, and indeed it is! Next up it's the Benji Marshall reunion on Sunday at ANZ Stadium against a Dragons side who disappointed in a loss to Manly overnight at Kogarah. It's yet again another must win game. Wests will need minimum a further 3 wins, more likely a 4th will be needed. That makes a fixture against a side in the finals race that much more important.  Beat the Dragons and Wests move four points clear of them in the top 8 chance. It's a massive opportunity!