A DELIGHTED Dean Laidley has praised the “super” performance turned in by the Kangaroos to snatch a thrilling come from behind win against the Bulldogs on Sunday.

“It was a wonderful performance by the whole team,” Laidley said.

“I thought we did a lot right in the first half. Perhaps we didn’t make the most of our opportunities, but contested ball was the indicator for us today; to match them in that area and in our work off the ball was very good.

“At half-time all we spoke about was that we were four goals down and let’s get it to two [at three-quarter time] and I think pretty much we did. We set ourselves for a big last quarter and to the boys’ credit I’m sure it gladdened the hearts of our supporters out there today the way they continued to go about it.”

Laidley was particularly pleased for Brent Harvey who played an important cameo in his 250th AFL match, despite copping a heavy knock in the opening minutes of the game, with the result a fitting tribute to his brilliant career.

“He was knocked senseless, he had the staggers,” he said.

“So to regroup and come back on and do the things that he did at critical times I thought was a testament to the way he’s matured. It’s been a real privilege for me to coach him.”

Brad Johnson had the chance to make it a much different story for the Roos with his shot for goal after the siren, but Laidley did not see the Bulldog skipper’s kick miss to the right.

“I just got up and walked out of the box actually,” he said.

“I thought we did everything we possibly could. I thought we played super footy and if that had have happened well [so be it].

“Halfway down the aisle all I saw was our boys put their hands in the air.”

The gritty Roos deserve every bit of praise they get for the three-point win as they did it without Daniel Wells who left the game 12 minutes into the third term with a knee injury.

“I thought he was probably the best on ground prior to half-time,” Laidley said.

“Every time he just gets himself going he just can’t get a real good run with it which is unfortunate for him. He’s copped a fair bit of criticism, but he’s copped it on the chin and taken it like a man.”

Wells will likely miss two weeks with the knee strain and he joins Jess Sinclair, who injured an ankle for Werribee on Saturday, on the sidelines.

The Kangaroos have developed a handy knack of coming out on top in thrillers this season, but Laidley said the nail-biters came at a cost.

“It takes a toll because each week we’ve done it, we’ve done it with 21 men,” he said.

“Statistically, if you have a look at it, whenever you lose one player, particularly a midfielder, your chances of winning the game diminish by about 15 per cent straight away.

“Our resolve in that area to share the workload has been first class.”