The future, even without Sonny-Bill Williams, looks a little brighter for the Bulldogs - that's if 2009 recruit Josh Morris is any indication.
But next year seemed as far away as their superstar second-rower was from ANZ Stadium last night.
Morris was electric in scoring a first half hat-trick in the Dragons' 30-0 demolition.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, still coming to terms with Williams walk out some 48 hours earlier, Morris is still playing for St George Illawarra.
It didn't take long to see how the beleaguered Bulldogs would react in their first game since Williams boarded a plane en route to France to sign a $3 million deal to play rugby union, without telling anyone at the club he was leaving.
In a word, badly.
They were monstered by the Dragons, who had their own troubles in trying to shore up their place in the top eight after consecutive losses to Canberra and Melbourne.
Morris, who has already signed on with the Dogs for next year, dived on a mistake by winger Heka Nanai in the fifth minute.
He then inflicted more pain in the 12th and 26th.
Centre Matt Cooper and Josh's brother Brett Morris joined the first half party and it was 26-0 at the break.
While the Dragons worked tirelessly with 12 men in their 26-0 loss to Melbourne the previous week, last night the Bulldogs simply hadn't come to play.
They missed 35 tackles to the Dragons six before half-time.
Halfback Ben Hornby and five-eighth Jamie Soward cut Canterbury to ribbons.
A fumbling Wendell Sailor, who struggled to adjust to duties in the second-row, was probably the only question mark hanging over the Dragons win.
If anything, the only small consolation Bulldogs fans could take was Morris's brilliance.
His first try was from superb quick thinking while the ball lay loose in the in-goal, his second raw power and speed as he hurtled towards the line, barging past Dogs fullback Brent Crisp to plant the ball down.
The third came through a neat piece of athleticism, continuing a miserable night for Nanai.
Wonderboy debutant Ben Barba showed potential, but missed some crucial tackles.
And there was more pain inflicted on the embattled blue-and-whites, with centre Tim Winitana trudging off down the player's tunnel in the opening minutes and never returning after suffering a suspected broken rib.
In fairness to the Dogs, they launched some pressure on the Dragons in the second half, even managing to force successive line drop-outs.
That was until Jamie Soward snatched an intercept as the Bulldogs searched for their first try and ran 98m to score at the other end.
Then in the 74th minute, hulking replacement John Kite was placed on report by referee Sean Hampstead after kicking out while tackled and connecting with recalled Dragons hooker Simon Woolford's head.
It pretty much summed up the week that was for the Bulldogs.
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