Wests Tigers centre Chris Lawrence says that while Friday's must-win game against the Bulldogs will be a challenge, it's one the side is definitely up for.
Coming off back-to-back losses and facing a short preparation (filled with rain) for Friday's clash at ANZ Stadium, Lawrence said the team was under no illusions that their performances in recent times weren't up to standard, but emphasised that the side were ready to bounce back against a side they narrowly went down to in Golden Point earlier in 2015.
"We're going to have to definitely lift our performances on what we provided last weekend," Lawrence said. "It's a big challenge coming up for us, and the last two weeks have been disappointing so it’s about knuckling down, working hard and fixing that.
"Obviously we’ve got a young squad and some young halves running the show so there’s going to be mistakes at times, but we’re not using that as an excuse.
"There is no excuse for the performance that we put on, we made too many errors in both attack and defence, and that’s led to losing two games in a row.
"We’ve taken a backwards step in the last two weeks, so it’s about rectifying that on the training field this week and getting it right this Friday night."
While the Bulldogs will welcome back the likes of Josh Morris, Sam Kasiano and Josh Reynolds from injuries in recent weeks, the absence of James Graham and David Klemmer will see a different-look side from the one Jason Taylor's side met in Round 4.
However, Lawrence said that regardless of who takes the field Friday night for the 2014 grand finalists, his side would be ready for the challenge that lies ahead of them.
"The Bulldogs are a club that has got plenty of depth and talent, and we know that whoever they bring up fills the shoes of those they replace," he said.
"Whoever they put out on the field, we know that they’re going to be hard to beat and they’re going to play well, so it’s a big challenge for us and we’re up to it."
Hear more from Chris about this week's game and more in the video above.
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