Canterbury will sweat on scans of a suspected pectoral injury to Viliame Kikau as they search for the formula to avoid losing three games in a row.
The Bulldogs were way off the pace on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium in the 32-12 loss to a Broncos side without 12 top-30 players available.
To make matters worse, their best forward Viliame Kikau left the field in the 21st minute clutching at his pectoral area.
Five-eighth Matt Burton was also put on report for a dangerous tackle on centre Kotoni Staggs, whose head hit the ground flush as he was swung around.
In round-six the Bulldogs were brilliant in a 32-16 win over competition leaders Penrith where they defended with vim and attacked with panache.
Half Lachlan Galvin was man of the match and had his best game in the NRL and they looked to be on the cusp of going on a run.
Instead, they have lost two games badly. The 38-20 defeat to Parramatta showed up defensive and attitude issues. Against Brisbane they had all the ball early but came up with nothing and then defended poorly at the other end.
This year the Bulldogs are letting in 23.7 points on average per match compared with 17.2 last season.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo was asked whether the Bulldogs had lost the defensive edge that was a feature of their top four finish last season.
“We didn’t defend well last week. I was disappointed in the defensive resilience and tonight it was the same,” Ciraldo said.
“In long periods we defended great. We had a lot of people defending well but at crucial times we had one or two guys let us down.
“You just can’t do that against a team with Adam Reynolds, Ezra Mam and Kotoni Staggs.”
Galvin sustained an ankle injury during the match against the Broncos but battled through.
There is debate in the game about whether Galvin’s best position is as a running five-eighth rather than an organising halfback.
Ciraldo was pointed when asked whether Galvin was most suited at No.7 after being outplayed by 35-year-old Broncos captain Reynolds.
“Do you think two weeks ago (against Penrith) that he was? He’s a 20-year-old half at the moment,” Ciraldo said.
“He would have got a great lesson from a guy who’s had 15 years doing what he is doing … but they are only lessons if you learn.”
The Bulldogs, with three wins and four losses to start the season, host North Queensland at Homebush on Friday night.
North Queensland coach Todd Payten always thought Tom Chester could be a good centre, and now he believes the 24-year-old could be the NRL’s next world-class talent.
The Cowboys ran riot in a 46-34 victory against Cronulla on Friday night in Townsville, and Chester played a big part in the bounce-back win after getting thumped 38-6 by Manly last round.
Carving up a game-high 163 running metres along with nine tackle busts and two line breaks, the 24-year-old North Queensland local was prolific.
It comes after he missed the 2025 season with a knee injury, but inked a three-year deal to stay with the Cowboys earlier in April.
The 24-year-old has had a stellar start to 2026, averaging more than 180 metres per game, despite first coming to North Queensland as a fullback in 2022.
“Through his effort, he’s going to come out the other side, and he’s going to potentially be a world-class centre,” Payten said.
“I always told him in the past couple of years that I think he would make a good centre.
“He’s had an ambition to play fullback, but it’s about the team, and he’s enjoying what he’s doing out there.”
The left centre didn’t have a stellar defensive display, as the Sharks terrorised the Cowboys’ edges, but regardless, Payten knows he will put his head down and improve.
The coach will have to worry about the more immediate future of winger Murray Taulagi after he sustained a suspected second concussion in three weeks.
Taulagi scored a hat-trick on his return from a head knock against Brisbane in round six.
“It’s not great,” the coach said.
“He’s going to be out for several weeks. I don’t know how long exactly, but it’s definitely two weeks plus.”
Payten said 24-year-old Zac Laybutt will most likely replace him, having played in the No.5 jersey last round.
The Cowboys will now look to win their sixth game in seven matches when they face Canterbury next Friday.