Trailing 14-8 at half-time after taking an early 8-0 lead, the Warriors scored three second half tries then defended grimly over the last five minutes to hang on for their third win of the season.
McFadden says one of the most pleasing aspects of the game was the way the Warriors fought back for their first win over the Bulldogs at Westpac Stadium in six outings.
"We didn't stop playing, particularly when we were behind in the second half," he said.
"They had a fair bit of momentum going into halftime, but we came out and turned that around very quickly."