There will be few happier than coach Cameron Ciraldo and the club's football boss Phil Gould if, come fulltime in Sunday afternoon's semi-final, the depleted Bulldogs book their spot in a preliminary final by ending the Panthers' dynasty.
Gould is widely credited for re-establishing the Panthers' junior pathways that yielded an endless production line of talent to sustain the club's unparalleled modern-day success.
He was shown the door by Penrith after Ivan Cleary's return to the club in 2019 before taking up a similar role at Belmore in 2021.
One of Gould's first major tasks was to sack then Bulldogs head coach Trent Barrett - a former Penrith attack coach - in May 2022, before bringing in Ciraldo to lift Canterbury out of the doldrums.
Gould was also responsible for ensuring Ciraldo didn't resign at the Panthers back in 2018 when the club struggled under coach Anthony Griffin.
Revered for creating Penrith's attack-sapping defensive systems, Ciraldo has slowly implemented that same gritty edge to turn the Dogs into a premiership force.
"It's definitely a system-vs-system type game," Bulldogs forward and former premiership-winning Panther Jaeman Salmon said of Sunday's semi-final.
"There's a lot of players from this club that have played there and coaches that have coached there.
"We do play a similar type of footy, especially defensively. I guess it's who can do it for the longest (that will win)."
Ciraldo's steely style helped the Dogs end a seven-season finals drought last year.
Then in 2025, the Bulldogs claimed their first top-four finish since 2012 and are now dreaming of what's to come.
"The success they've had at Penrith - winning four premierships and making the last five grand finals - every club in the NRL would want that," Bulldogs prop Max King told AAP.
"I think what 'Gus' and Cameron have tried to do is more than just poaching players, it's about the right players and the right personalities with the right characteristics - they've done a good job at that."
Already the hallmarks of the Gould regime are there to see. Canterbury won back-to-back Jersey Flegg Cup (under 21s) titles in 2023 and 2024, while last year their SG Ball Cup side (under 19s) were beaten grand finalists.
The emergence of winger Jethro Rinakama and hooker Bailey Hayward this season is proof the Bulldogs' talent pipeline is beginning to take effect.
But to rapidly climb up the ladder from 15th in Ciraldo's first year to third in 2025, the Dogs have had to pinch a fair bit of talent from the Panthers.
Captain Stephen Crichton, edge forward Viliame Kikau, playmaker Matt Burton and Salmon have all played key roles in the Bulldogs' resurgence and the chance to end their old club's dominance will only add to the motivation.
"You have past mates at every team in the NRL but I'm sure it'll be a different feeling and those boys wouldn't want to knock anyone else off more than Penrith," King said.
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