Former Test fullback Gary Belcher claims Canterbury have to take a leaf out of the book of ladder-leaders South Sydney and prove to their NRL rivals they are far more than a one-man band.
The loss of star fullback Ben Barba for the next five weeks has cast doubts over the Bulldogs' ability to take any momentum into the finals, with a return to the grand final suddenly a seemingly distant goal.
Belcher admitted the loss of Barba would be a blow to the Bulldogs, but said they need look no further than the Rabbitohs' ability to cover for the game's hottest fullback - Greg Inglis.
The Rabbitohs have won three of the four games they have played without Inglis in 2013, while the Bulldogs won one and lost two when Barba was stood down by the club for the opening three rounds of the season.
"I think it shows that they're much more than a one-dimensional team, they're a much better side than we probably give them credit for," Belcher said of the Rabbitohs' ability to win without Inglis.
"When you see a standout like GI you tend to think that a side can't do it without them - it's probably a good comparison with the Dogs without Benny Barba.
"There's a lot more to the Dogs than just Ben.
"Sure he adds some wonderful polish to them and he's fabulous finisher - GI's like that with the Bunnies - but they (the Rabbitohs) showed us there's a lot more to them."
While Belcher backed the Bunnies to be a success with Inglis, statistics show that clubs with superstar fullbacks struggle mightily when their champion No.1s are not there.
Inglis, Barba, Manly's Brett Stewart, Melbourne's Billy Slater, Parramatta's Jarryd Hayne and St George Illawarra's Josh Dugan are generally considered the six standout fullbacks in the league.
Each has spent some part of the year on the sideline.
With those players in the line-up, their respective sides have won 48 of 78 games for a winning percentage of 61.5 per cent.
Without them, that winning ratio drops to 23.8 per cent.
Some of the statistics have mitigating circumstances however.
In the two games Slater has missed - both losses - the Storm have also been without Cooper Cronk and skipper Cameron Smith.
Barba's early season absence coincided with star forwards Sam Kasiano, James Graham and Frank Pritchard missing from the Bulldogs line-up.
Belcher admitted the Bulldogs were without doubt a better side with Barba in the No.1, and said it was imperative his teammates held the fort ahead of his return.
"You want to have some momentum going in to the finals, so you'd hope to get him back for a couple of games (before the finals)," Belcher said.
"Because if he's gone and they take a few steps back and just stumble into the finals, that could make it a bit tricky."
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