After five tough years, Bulldogs fans are hoping this will finally be the season the club returns to the finals and the off-season recruitment drive gives them good cause for optimism.
However, the moment of truth has finally arrived for Trent Barrett and his new look team and their trial form raised as many questions as answers after a 16-16 draw with Newcastle and a 30-6 loss to Cronulla.
With so many new faces, combinations are going to take time to gel but with the likes of Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, Mat Dufty, Tevita Pangai jnr and Paul Vaughan joining the club results are expected.
The Cowboys are also looking to climb out of the cellar but besides the recruitment of Chad Townsend and Peta Hiku, their biggest off-season changes have been positional, with Val Holmes moving to the centres and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow switching to fullback.
