Bulldogs coach Des Hasler praised his side’s defence after their 18-12 win over the Storm in Melbourne on Monday night.
Canterbury led 12-2 towards the end of the first half before the Storm levelled the scores with half an hour to play, but a try to Kerrod Holland with 20 minutes left on the clock was enough to seal the victory for the Dogs.
Hasler said his side's work ethic on the defensive end was a key factor in getting the win against an always formidable Melbourne.
"We really had to graft one out tonight. You could say that for a fair bit of the game they had a lot of the momentum and a lot of the field position, but I thought our defensive effort was pretty brave to keep turning them away," Hasler said.
"It's always tough playing a Melbourne side, and it's always tough playing them in Melbourne… so it's an important two points at this stage of the season."
After Canterbury's 22-8 loss against Canberra last round, Hasler knew his side just needed to stick with the Storm to give themselves the best chance to win, and he was pleased they did just that.
"In fairness to Canberra last week they played very well and they got away to a fast start and we couldn’t claw it back, but we knew that if we stuck to it tonight I thought we'd have a chance," Hasler said.
"You can't come down here half-tuned, this Melbourne side is too good."
Bulldogs captain James Graham was also quite pleased at his side's ability to defend their line, and echoed Hasler's thoughts on leaving Victoria with the win.
"I thought our goal line defence for most of tonight was outstanding, lots of scramble, and most of our boys put in some pretty big efforts to keep them out. Coming away with the two points is massive for us," Graham said.
The Bulldogs will now look to make it back-to-back wins, as they head over to New Zealand to face the Warriors on Saturday.
They may have to make the trip without big prop Aiden Tolman, as he suffered a leg injury in the final stages of Monday night's match.
"He's got a lower limb strain, so we'll have to monitor it as we’ve got a five day turnaround and a trip across the Tasman," Hasler said.
