Canterbury's finals hopes could be extinguished by the time he gets back on the park but skipper James Graham says write them off at your own peril.
The Bulldogs' fading top eight hopes received a double blow on Tuesday when it was announced Graham would miss the next month with a neck injury while Greg Eastwood (knee) was set for five to six weeks on the sidelines.
The equation is simple for Des Hasler's side - win six of their last nine NRL games or miss the finals for the first time since 2011.
Graham said he still believed in his side's top eight aspirations despite having won just once in the last six weeks.
"Anytime we've had some bad form it's blindsided us cause you have your belief systems in place about where you think the team is going and the utmost confidence in your ability and your team's ability," Graham told Fox Sports' NRL360.
"Sometimes it just doesn't happen. When you're in a form slump, it's something that definitely blindsides you."
Graham is set to miss key clashes against Parramatta this Thursday, Newcastle and Brisbane, meaning his side's season could be effectively over by the time he returns.
He will undergo minor surgery to repair a neck and shoulder problem which has been bothering him for several weeks.
With the Bulldogs having scored the least points (208) and made the least linebreaks (3.2 per game), they've been forced to wear criticism of their playing style and commitment.
Graham defended their character and said they were simply being let down by their execution.
"This is the toughest sporting competition in the world, it's the closest sporting competition in the world so that's going to create some good teams that end up getting beaten," Graham said.
"The biggest thing for the Canterbury Bulldogs is it definitely isn't an effort problem. Obviously we're disappointed with where we're at but 100 per cent the effort is still there.
"We're probably lacking a little bit on execution.That's something that can be fixed. We can play a little bit smarter at times."
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