Coach Benji Marshall knows his Wests Tigers don't have to play the razzle-dazzle football he was once famous for to win games.
And as far as he's concerned, that's a good thing.
The Tigers ran out 20-6 victors against a scrappy Newcastle Knights outfit at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.
This was far from the Tigers at their best. They had 40 play-the-balls in the attacking 20-metre zone and scored from four of them.
Like the Knights they made 14 errors, but the difference was the way they could repel Newcastle in key moments at both the start and end of the first half.
It was the kind of thing Marshall believes wouldn't have happened last year, when the Tigers were the worst defensive side in the NRL and let in an average of 31.25 points per game.
"We've tried to change our club into a defensive mindset type club, and the players have to buy into it," he said.
"We brought in a couple of guys who drive that, like Jarome (Luai).
"I thought our attack was average tonight, if I'm being honest.
"We had a lot of possession in their half, inside their 20 that we should have capitalised on.
"In saying that, we're still building on who we are as an attack. Obviously our new spine played three games together."
Marshall's men now sit inside the top eight after round six for the first time since 2020, as they gun for their first finals appearance in 14 years.
The Tigers outclassed the Knights in Newcastle, with Sunia Turuva scoring his seventh try of the season and Terrell May carving up 150 metres, the second most on the field.
Fullback Jahream Bula also shone as he assisted and scored a try of his own against a lacklustre Knights defence.
In comparison, Newcastle's only try came in the final minute, when Turuva failed to clean up a grubber kick.
"In the context of our season, that coming off back-to-back losses, and coming to a place like Newcastle with how loud their crowd are, it's actually really tough to play," Marshall said.
"I was really disappointed with that last try, if I'm being honest, but at the same time you've got to put in context where we've come from last year to where we are now, and celebrate getting two points."
