These former Bulldogs might be out learning new tricks, but Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye are feeling for their old home.
Mbye, along with the returning Robbie Farah, will make his anticipated season debut for the Wests Tigers on Sunday after making the mid-season switch from Canterbury a fortnight ago.
Now he'll line up alongside another ex-Bulldogs star in Reynolds, who also left the kennel last year as they went after big-names Kieran Foran and Aaron Woods.
However the Bulldogs are now in a world of hurt following a season-ending toe injury to Foran, as well as the departure of Woods due to salary cap issues.
Rising second-rower Raymond Faitala-Mariner was also this week ruled out for the rest of the year with a knee injury suffered during playing for New Zealand in the controversial Denver Test.
Reynolds said he felt for his old club.
"The first thing people say to me now is, 'are you glad you got out of there?' Reynolds said on Friday.
"I can't necessarily say that. I love being here at the Tigers and I'd never take it back, but you never want to see a place that's given you so much ,in a bad place."
The former fan favourite backed Bulldogs captain Josh Jackson to lead them out of their rut.
"I still talk to the boys there and they're just not enjoying their footy and you can see that," he said.
"Unfortunately it's got a fair bit to do with the off-field stuff and as a player, you can't really control that. But I know there's some really good guys there.
"Jacko being the captain, he'll roll his sleeves up every week and bring a good, positive vibe. It'll change for them. They're too big of a club not to."
Mbye, who had previously planned to move to the Tigers at the end of the season, admitted it was a tough decision to leave his ex-teammates in the lurch halfway through the year.
The Bulldogs agreed to release the 24-year-old in a bid to further help their cap squeeze.
"I've been at that club for a number of years and it was a second home to me. It was a tough decision but it's just the way it goes these days," he said.
"Unfortunately the Bulldogs aren't in a good situation at the moment."
The pair, together with the injection of Farah, will hope to quickly find their chemistry with halfback Luke Brooks in a spine that appeared to be in desperate need of spark after three straight defeats.
