TONY Smith praised the “enormous” effort of his Wolves side during their 24-16 victory over Catalans Dragons on Saturday.

The Wire came into the game on the back of six Super League games without a victory, but two tries from Ryan Atkins and one each from Benjamin Jullien and Andre Savelio earned them a precious two points.

Smith said he was impressed with his side’s “commitment to the cause” as they kept their hopes of avoiding the Middle 8s alive.

The Wolves boss also reserved special praise for the back three of Will Dagger, Jack Johnson and Kevin Penny for their performance.

“It was important for us, I thought the effort was enormous,” he said.

“I don’t think it was a spectacular game of rugby league. There was some tension in it and both teams showed some of that at times.

“There was a lot of spirit and fight, it was there last week and it showed again.

“We removed a number of our errors which gave us a chance to compete. We didn’t make anywhere near as many errors near our own line or at crucial times this week.

“Our back three were error-free and did a good job without being our first three starters at the back.

“They did a fantastic job, particularly Will Dagger.

“Overall, the team showed some commitment to the cause and that they are fighting for each other.”