A match sealing try to Wests flanker Kirk Hawkins crushed any hope of a late comeback by Souths at Chipsy Wood Oval as the Bulldogs recorded their fourth win of the season 25-17.
Trailing by nine at halftime, it was a spirited Wests who returned after the break, with Brad Cameron scoring two tries in seven minutes to put his side in the lead for the first time in the match.
This seemed to kick Souths into gear as they brought the margin back to one point thanks to a superb backs play that was finished off by winger Tom Armstrong in the corner.
However it wasn’t to be when Hawkins crashed over in the final minute to seal the win for Wests and leave Souths with just two wins from seven starts this season.
Wests captain Mick Lee applauded his team’s efforts and ability to stick to their game plan in the second half.
“It was tough but we were able to stick to the structures and patterns we’ve been working on and it all worked out in the end,” he said.
“We had a lot of trust and belief; it was a good team effort.”
An obviously disappointed Souths coach, Ken Wills, lamented his side’s inability to get over the line.
“We’ve dominated teams all season but just haven’t been able to put the points on the board,” he said.
“It’s killing us.”
Souths captain, Sam Denny shared his coach’s opinion and was frustrated by his team’s inability to execute.
“We built a lot of pressure but then made silly errors close to their line which let them off the hook,” he said.
Wests 25 (Brad Cameron 2, Kirk Hawkins tries; Benfield Lainchbury 2 cons, 2 pens) def Souths 17 (James Toole, Andy Muirhead, Tom Armstrong tries; Stephen Mewing con)
By Martin Cambridge