Canterbury's appointment of a new coach to replace Trent Barrett will be pivotal in the club's quest to return to the upper echelon of the NRL.
However, equally defining will be the decisions they make surrounding their roster in the next two years.
Barrett's exit comes at a crucial stage in the Bulldogs' rebuild with almost the entire top 30 roster due to come off-contract in the next two seasons in what is easily the biggest recruitment and retention task facing an NRL club.
Matt Dufty, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Joe Stimson, Paul Vaughan and Brandon Wakeham are all off-contract at the end of this year and face uncertain futures at Belmore.
Meanwhile, 16 players are without deals beyond 2023, with the likes of Josh Jackson, Jake Averillo, Luke Thompson and Brent Naden, plus boom rookies Bailey Biondi-Odo and Paul Alamoti, on that list.
Each of these players will be free to sign with other clubs for 2024 and beyond come November 1 this year.
Prized playmaker Matt Burton, who has a player option for 2024, can be added to that list after his manager indicated this week he'll likely test the market at the end of this season.
Having Josh Addo-Carr locked up until the end of 2025, plus the arrival of Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau next season, will offer the new coach a strong foundation to build around.
But who the Bulldogs decide to keep and shed from its current list will have a huge bearing on the success of Barrett's replacement and the next phase of the club's future.
These are the five players the Bulldogs must keep to give its next coach a strong chance at success.
MORE: WHO WILL REPLACE BARRETT? THE LEADING CANDIDATES FOR BULLDOGS JOB
MATT BURTON
The Bulldogs simply must move heaven and earth to keep Burton at the club.
Key to their struggles in the last six years where they haven't made the finals has been the lack of quality in the spine, but in Burton, they have that in abundance.
With an outstanding kicking game, top-notch defence, and a strong runner of the football, Burton has huge upside and is the full package as an NRL playmaker.
He also boasts premiership-winning experience having played a key role in Penrith's title last year and seeing what it takes to reach those heights.
Still just 22, there's no doubting Burton will be among the game's best playmakers in years to come, which to a club like the Bulldogs will be priceless.
While his first year at Belmore has been a tough one, he needs the help of world-class players around him in the spine, which is on the way in the form of Mahoney.
RAYMOND FAITALA-MARINER
While many players to have pulled on the Bulldogs jumper in the last few years have struggled for consistency, one player that rarely lets his teammates down is Raymond Faitala-Mariner.
A tough and skillful edge forward, Faitala-Mariner's profile as a player is exactly what the Bulldogs need and pairing him up with Kikau on the edges will give the side plenty of power and strike on both sides of the field.
Faitala-Mariner is coming off a tough period in which he only managed two games last year through injury and is yet to feature this campaign.
However, his 2020 season was the best of his career and at 28 years of age, there's still a lot left for the Kiwi international to give.
LUKE THOMPSON
Despite being contracted until the end of next season, there were rumours the Bulldogs were looking to offload Thompson in the pre-season to a willing buyer.
Given the English prop has been one of the club's strongest performers since arriving midway through 2020 from the Super League, this is impossible to comprehend.
If the Bulldogs are to have any success in the coming years post-Barrett, they'll desperately need a tough and uncompromising leader in the middle of the field and Thompson fits that bill perfectly.
AARON SCHOUPP
Aaron Schoupp has been another success story out of Belmore, having been cast astray as a junior at the Dragons.
Handed his debut last year, the 20-year-old centre has gone on to make a name for himself as a well-rounded edge player who can both attack and defend.
Given how much football is played down the edges in the modern day, Schoupp's ability to play on both sides of the ball are what stands out about his ability.
Despite this, Schoupp has perhaps been an underrated member of the Bulldogs' side over the last two seasons.
While he's still very young, the Illawarra product has turned plenty of heads in his short NRL career so far and if the Bulldogs don't move to tie him up another NRL club most definitely will.
MORE: THE FALLING DOMINOES THAT LED TO BARRETT'S BULLDOGS DOWNFALL
TEVITA PANGAI JUNIOR
While the Tongan tank's first year at Belmore hasn't exactly set the world alight, with the right players around him and a strong coaching mentor, Pangai Junior could be anything at the Bulldogs.
While the club desperately need leadership and consistency, two traits Pangai Junior isn't renowned for, what they also need are players with genuine x-factor who can break a game wide open with a single play, which is something the former Broncos forward boasts.
There are many coaches around the NRL that would love to have a player with the skill and power that Pangai Junior has, as proven by Ivan Cleary's call to sign him on a short-term contract late last year to help Penrith on their charge to the premiership.
There have been suggestions that Barrett's exit could prompt Pangai Junior to leave as well, with Wayne Bennett a known admirer of the 26-year-old.
However, he'll be a must-keep if the Bulldogs can appoint a coach that can get the best out of him and develop a game plan that best promotes Pangai Junior's outstanding talents
WHAT ABOUT THE REST?
There are some glaring omissions from the list of players the Bulldogs must re-sign above.
Firstly, club captain Josh Jackson.
Jackson has been an honourable servant of the Bulldogs and with representative experience, has reached the highest levels of the game.
However, with the pace of the game ever-increasing and the demand for skillful players in the lock position growing each year, Jackson's role in the team has changed dramatically from the days his sole job was to make 50-plus tackles.
It's been suggested having Jackson in the 13 jersey holds the Bulldogs' attack back when compared to what the likes of Cameron Murray, Victor Radley and Isaah Yeo offer their respective teams on both sides of the ball.
Kyle Flanagan was hailed as a marquee signing under Barrett in 2021 but he's failed to reach the heights expected of him, having seemingly played more games in reserve grade since joining the club.
Flanagan was once rated one of the game's next up and coming playmakers, but going off what he's offered the Bulldogs, it's doubtful the club would rush to re-sign him as anything more than just a role-player, particularly on the money he's earning with his current contract.
Jake Averillo is one of the club's big hopes from their pathways program, and while he's shown glimpses of his vast talent, he hasn't quite hit that next stage of his development under Barrett.
Brent Naden has been strong without being outstanding since landing from Penrith this season and given his ability to play any position across the back five, he'd be a handy player to retain. But whether or not hes a crucial re-signing for the club long-term remains to be seen.
The same could be said for the likes of Braidon Burns and Corey Allen, who were experienced pick-ups made by Barrett that haven't exactly fired.
Matt Dufty and Paul Vaughan were both brought to the club on one-year deals after being cut by the Dragons, but appear on the outer already, with moves to the Super League reportedly on the cards.
As for the rookies coming off-contract in the next year or two, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Paul Alamoti and Tuipolotu Katoa will be important re-signings for the Bulldogs but not quite on par with the likes of Burton and Thompson as far as priorities.
