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The Warriors' third-straight win has kept them in the NRL finals hunt, Reece Walsh scoring a second-half try in a 24-10 defeat of Canterbury.

Warriors coach Nathan Brown admits he was never sure what his NRL side was capable of this year.

And with three rounds to go he is still figuring that out after a third-straight win dramatically enhanced their once-faint finals hopes.

A 24-10 defeat of the Bulldogs on Sunday in Redcliffe's first NRL game put the Warriors one win outside the top eight.

Victories over Brisbane, Canberra and Gold Coast on the run home will be enough to sneak them in, if Newcastle and Cronulla lose at least one of their remaining games.

Remarkably, the Warriors' first three-game winning streak since 2018 comes hot on the heels of former captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's departure from the club, with 19-year-old fullback Reece Walsh and 22-year-old half Chanel Harris-Tavita pulling the strings expertly and Josh Curran in career-best form to fill the void.

"We didn't understand where we'd get to," said Brown, in his first season at the helm of a club which has again been forced to live away from New Zealand due to closed borders.

"There's been a lot of changes to our squad and we're learning our style as we go.

"The dynamics of our team have changed drastically and we're getting better.

"We're still just pottering along but we're going to have to be a little better next week."

Walsh scored a try off a Harris-Tavita kick in the second half and set up another, while Curran scored and assisted tries in the first half.

But the Bulldogs fought hard despite continuous errors and a disallowed try that had coach Trent Barrett scratching his head after a loss that all but assured them of the wooden spoon.

They crossed off an Edward Kosi knock-on and a try would have put them back within six points through the second half.

But it was denied on review when Sione Katoa was deemed to have hit Kosi high, the Warriors earning a penalty and Katoa seemingly lucky to remain on the field despite being placed on report.

Barrett argued it shouldn't have even been penalised, while he said Bulldogs loan player Ryan James was also hard done by when reported for tackling Harris-Tavita in the air.

"I thought we did get going and had the try that got us back in the game taken off us," he said.

"Back to 22-16, Warriors player makes and error, wasn't a high tackle, wasn't late and I still can't work out why.

"There's things in the game we need to do better, I'm not hiding that fact.

"But they (decisions) change games and we're not in a position to have them go against us. Those ones kill you."

Brown admitted the high contact rule remained an area of contention.

"Officials are like the Prime Minister or a premier aren't they? Either half hate them or half like them depending on what happens," he mused.

"They don't get many plaudits, so to make it easier let's get our rules sorted before the season starts so we've all got a chance."