Canterbury captain James Graham has denied a player get-together after their embarrassing NRL loss to Penrith was a "crisis meeting".
The Bulldogs were hammered 38-0 by the Panthers on Sunday, the most embarrassing of their four-straight losses which have culminated in their decline to 14th on the ladder.
Players met for lunch during their day off on Monday as they try to arrest their slump in time for their Queen's Birthday clash with St George Illawarra.
"There was no crisis meeting," Graham told Fox Sports' NRL 360.
"We're on an eight day turnaround to the Dragons game. It was something that we do regularly throughout the season anyway win or loss.
"We had a long discussion after the game. We just felt the time was right."
Coach Des Hasler is under increasing pressure despite signing a two-year contract extension earlier in the year after the worst start to the season by any club coached by him.
Fans are angry, with some threatening a boycott of the clash with St George Illawarra, while premiership-winning former player Paul Dunn says he fears for the long-term future of the club.
While supporters' fury is rising, Graham described the meeting as a "nice, friendly get together".
"It wasn't a compulsory thing, no one was holding court or anything," he said.
Canterbury will be boosted by the return of Graham, James Reynolds and Josh Morris from injury for Monday's match at ANZ Stadium.
Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib was supportive of the meeting which he said was a show of initiative, rather than a demonstration of player discord.
"It had nothing to do with the club. I knew nothing about it. They are taking it upon themselves to fix things," he told Fairfax Media.
"There are no issues there. I've spoken to all the players and they are happy."
The club's difficult 2017 has been punctuated by star five-eighth Josh Reynolds' end-of-season departure to Wests Tigers, while representative forward David Klemmer is also reported to be considering an exit.
Chief executive Raelene Castle will leave the NRL club at the end of the season despite having one year to go on her contract.
Dib said fans had every right to call for his and Hasler's sacking but was confident the club would salvage its disappointing season.
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