Kikau injury not only concern for inconsistent Bulldogs

To make matters worse, their best forward Viliame Kikau left the field in the 21st minute clutching at his pectoral area.

Five-eighth Matt Burton was also put on report for a dangerous tackle on centre Kotoni Staggs, whose head hit the ground flush as he was swung around.

In round-six the Bulldogs were brilliant in a 32-16 win over competition leaders Penrith where they defended with vim and attacked with panache. 

Half Lachlan Galvin was man of the match and had his best game in the NRL and they looked to be on the cusp of going on a run.

Instead, they have lost two games badly. The 38-20 defeat to Parramatta showed up defensive and attitude issues. Against Brisbane they had all the ball early but came up with nothing and then defended poorly at the other end. 

This year the Bulldogs are letting in 23.7 points on average per match compared with 17.2 last season.

Coach Cameron Ciraldo was asked whether the Bulldogs had lost the defensive edge that was a feature of their top four finish last season.

"We didn't defend well last week. I was disappointed in the defensive resilience and tonight it was the same," Ciraldo said.

"In long periods we defended great. We had a lot of people defending well but at crucial times we had one or two guys let us down.

"You just can't do that against a  team with Adam Reynolds, Ezra Mam and Kotoni Staggs."

Galvin sustained an ankle injury during the match against the Broncos but battled through. 

There is debate in the game about whether Galvin's best position is as a running five-eighth rather than an organising halfback.

Ciraldo was pointed when asked whether Galvin was most suited at No.7 after being outplayed by 35-year-old Broncos captain Reynolds. 

"Do you think two weeks ago (against Penrith) that he was? He's a 20-year-old half at the moment," Ciraldo said.

"He would have got a great lesson from a guy who's had 15 years doing what he is doing ... but they are only lessons if you learn." 

The Bulldogs, with three wins and four losses to start the season, host North Queensland at Homebush on Friday night.