Big Foxx blow just one of many problems for Dogs as Parra sweat ...

​Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo fears star winger Josh Addo-Carr has broken something in his shoulder after the representative outside back spent the second half of Saturday night’s loss to Parramatta on the bench in a sling.

Addo-Carr was in severe discomfort from the early stages of the 26-8 loss, with the try-scoring machine staying down for a couple of minutes just before half-time when he was bundled into touch.

“He’s not great. He’s going for scans tonight. He could have something broken up in the shoulder,” Ciraldo said.

“I thought it was really tough of him to play through to half-time. That showed plenty of grit.

“We’ve prepared for anything in terms of losing players and guys shifting around We’ve got a lot of versatile players, and that came in handy tonight.”

Bulldogs fans spent the entire off-season dreaming of a rapid turnaround after the club recruited heavily over summer, but Saturday was a nightmare for the blue and whites who could be without the ‘Foxx’ for a while.

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It forced a major reshuffle with Jacob Kiraz shifting to the left wing, while Jaeman Salmon moved to right centre on what proved to be a mixed night for Blake Taaffe who made an error off his first kick return but bounced back to set up Blake Wilson for their first try.

But the biggest concern is Addo-Carr who bravely stayed on until half-time but is in major doubt for the next few weeks, with Connor Tracey and Bronson Xerri in contention to replace him.

“I didn’t know it was that bad until half-time,” Ciraldo explained.

“You’ve got to play injured sometimes. Everyone out there has played with injuries, and some are worse than others.

“For Foxx to be able to get through to half-time is a massive testament to his courage and him putting the team first and setting a great example for the rest of the team.

“The good thing about our squad is that we have plenty of depth.

“Connor Tracey was our 18th man tonight and he’s ready to go. We’ve got a couple of guys there in reserve grade as well.

“It’s not ideal losing players, but we’re prepared for it.”

The Bulldogs have other concerns with Viliame Kikau on report for making dangerous contact on Dylan Brown in the act of kicking, with the back-rower hoping for some luck after an injury-ravaged first year in Belmore.

Brown was forced into the bulk of Parramatta’s kicking after Moses strained his groin early in the match, with scans to determine the severity of the injury.

The dynamic halfback bravely stayed on but was clearly hampered, with Moses taking some painkillers from the trainer and forced to give up the goal-kicking duties.

“Mitch said he’d be right and he’d get himself through. I wasn’t really impressed when he was kicking at the backend of the game, but he felt like he needed to do that to help us win,” Arthur said.

“They (the medical staff) said his groin was a bit sore but that he was okay, and not to kick. That was the feedback to get us around the field, and he did that.”

The Eels could have easily taken their main man off given they were up 20-0 with a huge local derby less than a week away.

“I thought about it, but the guys told me he’s okay. The carry on from Mitchell trying to get him off the field would have been worse and wouldn’t have been worth it,” Arthur said.

“It just shows you how important it is to them that they want to play well and they want to be there with their teammates.”

DOG DAYS AREN’T OVER

Attack was a major problem for Canterbury last year, and it didn’t look much better even with all the fresh faces.

There was a nice moment when former Panthers Kikau and Stephen Crichton linked up for a try in the second half, but the halves were kept quiet on a night they were held to just 392 metres in the first 40 minutes.

“I couldn’t have been happier with their effort and commitment in defence especially,” Ciraldo said.

“We were always going to be a little bit clunky in attack to start the season with a new team and new systems.

“I couldn’t be happier with some of the things I saw out there. Obviously the scoreboard didn’t go in our favour but to come back and win the last 20 minutes two tries to one and two tries all in the second half, I thought that was outstanding.”

CLOUD NINE

Dummy-half was a major issue for the Eels last year with Josh Hodgson forced into early retirement, while Brendan Hands was solid when he was in the team.

But they may have finally found their long-term replacement with Joey Lussick starring on Saturday evening with a nice pass to set up Bryce Cartwright for a try before he nailed a 40/20 to get them going in the second half.

It was an encouraging night for the Eels who were one of the biggest disappointments last season but still managed a crowd of 29,171 – the biggest regular season attendance at the venue.

STRIP TEASE

A sold-out CommBank Stadium was denied one of the most bizarre tries you’ll see this year, but the Parramatta faithful didn’t have to wait long with the home side getting the four points they deserved from the very next set.

An innocuous Bailey Simonsson grubber was batted back to Bulldogs prop Sam Hughes who escaped the in-goal but was stripped by Cartwright who shifted the ball right, with Sean Russell touching down in the corner.

But the Bunker spotted a touch from Kurt Mann when he was over the dead ball line, with Cartwright crossing 60 seconds later for his second try when he latched onto a stunning flick pass from Ryan Matterson.