He's been one of the few bright spots in Canterbury's NRL season marked by disappointment and turmoil.
And now the Bulldogs have declared their desire to hold onto boom backrower Rhyse Martin.
The Bulldogs were on Wednesday given a boost when playmaker Lachlan Lewis re-signed for two years however the club is facing a fight to hold onto Martin.
The 25-year-old has shown his class in his maiden seven appearances this year and notched a 24-point haul in the Bulldogs' heartbreaking loss to Canberra - an individual record for player in a losing side.
The goal-kicking forward is off-contract at the end of 2018 and seeking a well-deserved upgrade.
Coach Dean Pay said the club, despite its salary cap problems, had begun talks to hold onto the far north Queensland product.
"He needs to keep improving on what he's doing," Pay said.
"He's come in and played some good football for us. For the last three to four weeks he's put some good performances in.
"We're going through those negotiations with him at the moment."
Martin is representative of the Bulldogs' troubles as they seek to rebuild amid a salary cap squeeze.
For the next several years, the club has been locked out of the market in terms of pursuing marquee players because a host of back-ended contracts - signed under the former administration - have come back to haunt them.
They must find value for money and invest heavily in youth.
"We've got to be really careful with who we buy and how much," Pay said.
"We've got spots that we need to fill and we're working through that."
Despite their problems, the term rebuild sits uncomfortably with Pay.
He says there's no reason the club can't be competitive in the near future - pointing to the fact that seven of their 13 losses this year have been by six points or less.
Asked how he would pitch the club to prospective talent, Pay says: "There's a great opportunity. We've got a good base of senior players with Klem (David Klemmer), Jacko (Josh Jackson) and (Aiden) Tolman and Adam Elliott.
"There's an opportunity here if you want to play first grade. I'm not one for picking people on names, if they're doing the job, they'll get a start."
Lewis, 21, has been solid in his three first-grade appearances since debuting last month and has been rewarded with a contract extension.
He is now set to contend with the likes of Jeremy Marshall-King and Newcastle signing Jack Cogger to partner Kieran Foran in the halves next year.
