Image: Holly Hope Creative

It seems silly to say it, but Wests have almost been floating under the radar in this year’s Hospital Cup.

Despite playing in the last two grand finals and sitting third on the competition ladder, on the back of four straight wins, the Bulldogs have had an up and down 2024 to date but seem to be finding their bark at the right time of the season.

“It’s been good to get back on track after a tough run through the middle of the season,” Wests coach Elwee Prinsloo told Rugby News.

"After we played Jeeps the first time, we had a lot of injuries and we had three or four games during that time where we played with four third grade players each week in fairly crucial positions.

“All clubs go through it and we’re not complaining, but it’s good to be on the other side of it because it’s just too hard to beat the top sides in this comp if you don’t have your top players playing.”