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It may be far from do or die for the Bulldogs but Canterbury players know their premiership credentials will be tested when they face Cronulla on Sunday.
At the club's spiritual home at Belmore Oval, the Bulldogs will host a Cronulla side who sit two points behind them on the competition ladder.
The two top eight sides come into the game with last start wins, but Bulldogs fullback Brett Morris said the match was significant in the shaping of each club's seasons.
"It's very important," Morris said. "We are both in the same position where we need to keep winning games. Now is the time to start stringing wins together. We know it's going to be a tough effort, playing [at Belmore] the crowd can get us home.
"Obviously with Origin and all that over all the distractions are gone now. It's time for us to focus on our footy.
"I thought we played quite well [against Parramatta last week]. The first half wasn't the best we played. The second half we came out and did a job and what we needed to do."
Minus the injured Tony Williams the Bulldogs are now at full strength. Injuries, suspension and Origin duties have plagued their season, with the side struggling to find consistency. But centre Josh Morris said there were no more excuses for lacklustre performances.
"It's a big game for both of us," Josh Morris said. "We're both inside the eight. We need to get that consistency in the finals of winning games and we have a tough draw. Every win is vital.
"We've had a pretty solid run with injuries and suspensions. The Origin period where we had blokes out and not being able to train. We can't really use that as an excuse.
We're in the position where we have a full strength side and we have to get those combinations right so we're winning these games."
The Bulldogs play at Belmore Oval on Sunday afternoon for the second time this year. Their return to Belmore against the Storm was a sold-out clash with the roar of the fans one of the competition highlights this season. Bulldogs players would sing their team song on the field as they celebrated a 20-4 win.
Brett Morris described it as one of his favourite experiences. "For a smaller ground it was unbelievable," he said.
"It was just as loud as playing at some of the bigger stadiums. The fans were going crazy. We put a lot of points on early and got the crowd right into it. It was pretty awesome.
"When Josh Reynolds came off the bench they were going crazy. It's certainly one of those things you enjoy as a footballer being part of."
It is expected Sunday's match will sell out before the weekend. Josh Morris said he had never experienced "such a one-sided crowd".
"Speak to [ex-players] Luke Patten and Bobcat [Andrew Ryan] and they were so jealous of us being able to run out in front of a crowd at Belmore," he said. "It was a massive honour. The crowd was awesome. It gave the boys a boost and the crowd will be even bigger on Sunday."
At the club's spiritual home at Belmore Oval, the Bulldogs will host a Cronulla side who sit two points behind them on the competition ladder.
The two top eight sides come into the game with last start wins, but Bulldogs fullback Brett Morris said the match was significant in the shaping of each club's seasons.
"It's very important," Morris said. "We are both in the same position where we need to keep winning games. Now is the time to start stringing wins together. We know it's going to be a tough effort, playing [at Belmore] the crowd can get us home.
"Obviously with Origin and all that over all the distractions are gone now. It's time for us to focus on our footy.
"I thought we played quite well [against Parramatta last week]. The first half wasn't the best we played. The second half we came out and did a job and what we needed to do."
Minus the injured Tony Williams the Bulldogs are now at full strength. Injuries, suspension and Origin duties have plagued their season, with the side struggling to find consistency. But centre Josh Morris said there were no more excuses for lacklustre performances.
"It's a big game for both of us," Josh Morris said. "We're both inside the eight. We need to get that consistency in the finals of winning games and we have a tough draw. Every win is vital.
"We've had a pretty solid run with injuries and suspensions. The Origin period where we had blokes out and not being able to train. We can't really use that as an excuse.
We're in the position where we have a full strength side and we have to get those combinations right so we're winning these games."
The Bulldogs play at Belmore Oval on Sunday afternoon for the second time this year. Their return to Belmore against the Storm was a sold-out clash with the roar of the fans one of the competition highlights this season. Bulldogs players would sing their team song on the field as they celebrated a 20-4 win.
Brett Morris described it as one of his favourite experiences. "For a smaller ground it was unbelievable," he said.
"It was just as loud as playing at some of the bigger stadiums. The fans were going crazy. We put a lot of points on early and got the crowd right into it. It was pretty awesome.
"When Josh Reynolds came off the bench they were going crazy. It's certainly one of those things you enjoy as a footballer being part of."
It is expected Sunday's match will sell out before the weekend. Josh Morris said he had never experienced "such a one-sided crowd".
"Speak to [ex-players] Luke Patten and Bobcat [Andrew Ryan] and they were so jealous of us being able to run out in front of a crowd at Belmore," he said. "It was a massive honour. The crowd was awesome. It gave the boys a boost and the crowd will be even bigger on Sunday."
