One down, 24 to go.

The first eight games of the 2021 NRL season didn't just provide us with our initial set of winners and losers, it raised another series of questions.

With each of the league's 16 teams set to do battle again this weekend, we attempted to answer the major issues facing their playing lists and coaches alike.

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Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

How do they respond?

Prior to Round 1, the Bulldogs provoked three schools of thought โ€“ were they ready to contend again? Was 2021 set to be another rebuilding year? Would they somehow manage to go backwards?

It would take the sort of pessimist that sees a beer glass under a tap as empty to suggest that after their off-season shopping spree, the Dogs would dip.

However, after their lackluster loss to the injury-hit Knights at the weekend, those that still have Canterbury cracking the eight must perpetually view the world with a rose tint.

Trent Barrett's boys leaked like a sieve when defending their line last Friday, with Newcastle's last four tries coming in the space of just 23 minutes. Of course, this will take time to rectify, but if they are to make a fist of this week's match-up, the dial will need to be turned up on offense.

With just two offloads, four linebreaks and an inability to complete more than three quarters of their sets across their first 80-minutes, you can be sure that a focus was placed on rectifying this throughout the week.

Do I have my dough on the Dogs beating the powerful Panthers on Saturday afternoon? Absolutely not, but have I haven't run a red line through their finals chances yet either.

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