Bathurst Bulldogs secure crucial win against Forbes after second-half fight back

But a second-half fight back at Grinstead Oval saw Bulldogs claim an unlikely 24-18 win.

The bonus point victory, which came after Bathurst scored four tries in the match, puts Bulldogs just a point behind the third-place Platypi outfit.

Bulldogs captain Peter Fitzsimmons said he was pleased with how his team lifted in the second half to claim the six-point victory.

"I think the injection from our bench was great in the second half," he said.

"We put quite a lot of our bench on in the second half and they came on and gave us that spark we needed. It was good to see we have the depth to work with against a good team."

Keeping in touch with Forbes in third, Fitzsimmons said it was crucial that his team won and he's hoping they can continue their winning ways for the rest of the season to push for a home semi-final.

"The goal is to be in that top four and get as high in that top four, to get a home semi," he said.

"That could really give us an edge. To keep beating teams like Forbes in front of us, it really puts us in good stead going into the end of the season."

Fitzsimmons said the Bulldogs can't afford to have anymore slow starts.

"We can't give teams like that too much of a lead but we were lucky we had the fight in us in the second half," he said.

"We definitely need 80 minute performances to roll along, but it was really good to do that to Forbes, who are sitting up towards the top of the table. They're a strong team, so it's nice to get a win."

In other results, Cowra had a massive 51-10 win over the Dubbo Kangaroos, while Orange Emus saw off local rivals Orange City 24-15.

Orange Emus leads the ladder after nine rounds, with Cowra occupying second place on the ladder.

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