With his side consolidating themselves as the club to beat up on once again this season, Canterbury head coach Trent Barrett is said to be on thin ice with the board at Belmore.
Though the 15-time Kangaroo has routinely been backed by the Dogs' vocal GM, Phil Gould, reports of a board room fracture regarding Barrett's future with the Bulldogs could well spell bad news for the 44-year-old.
In the wake of his team's 16-6 loss at the hands of fellow strugglers Newcastle to commence Magic Round in the Sunshine State on Friday, the clouds surrounding both Barrett and the Bulldogs have only continued to grey.
And with Danny Weidler of The Sydney Morning Herald stressing that the fans in the stand have had a gutful of going backward, the man who has claimed just five wins from his 34 starts in blue and white could well be in for some administrative pain.
Since linking up with Canterbury ahead of the 2021 season, Barrett has overseen an overhaul of talent on his roster, however, the wins have continued to abate him, with just a pair of hard-fought victories over North Queensland and Sydney the steward's lot this season.
Though the likes of Matt Burton, Brent Naden, Tevita Pangai Junior and Josh Addo-Carr have all donned Bulldogs jerseys this season, an inability to boost the club's win-loss ledger has caused widespread frustration.
And though players of Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau's ilk will also call Belmore home from next year, recent revelations of further roster shakeups have painted a picture of an impatient club still grappling for answers.
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Weidler was willing to stress that Gould would continue to stand behind Barrett both publically and professionally, but with the board led by chairman John Khoury having parted company with Dean Pay and Steve Gorgallis across the past 24-months, a propensity for pulling triggers is known.
Barrett and the Bulldogs will earn their latest chance to make on-field amends when they face the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval next Friday night.
Should a third win for the season slip away from them then, a fixture that includes dates with the Panthers, Eels and Sharks before the bye may see final hooter bliss remain out of reach.