Reed Mahoney remembers a time not so long ago when playing for Canterbury felt like a badge of shame rather than a source of pride.

It was 2023, the club's first season under new head coach Cameron Ciraldo, and the Dogs endured a horrific campaign, just missing the wooden spoon.

"(Around Belmore) I wouldn't really stop to get out of the car and get a coffee back then," Mahoney said.

"That was an extremely tough year."

The arrivals of Mahoney, who moved to Belmore following Parramatta's run to the 2022 grand final, and ex-Penrith assistant Ciraldo, who had been billed as the game's best young coach, were supposed to instantly lift the Bulldogs out of the doldrums.

Instead, 2023 was a disaster. The Dogs suffered the second-worst loss ratio in the club's history and finished 16th with the worst defence in the NRL.

"But sometimes you have got to hit rock bottom to arrive at the top," Mahoney said.

The top is where unbeaten Canterbury now find themselves heading into their annual Good Friday clash with Souths at Accor Stadium.

The Bulldogs are first on the ladder and boast a 5-0 record to open the season in what represents their best start to a campaign since 1993.

There is hope, after ending an eight-year finals drought with a sixth-placed finish last season, that silverware is a realistic proposition in 2025.

Suddenly showing your face around Belmore is much more enjoyable.

"I've joked before, but if you need anything for free then you come to Belmore," said prop Max King.

"A couple of us boys live further south, I'm in Miranda, and even there you have people stop you wearing Doggies jerseys.

"You come into Doggies heartland here and the love is mad."

The return of a buzz around Belmore is a new-found feeling for Marcelo Montoya.

The Fijian winger, who rejoined the club this season, came through the grades at Canterbury, making his NRL debut with the Bulldogs in 2017 before leaving for the Warriors at the end of 2020.

"The difference now is the head coach, 'Ciro' is a massive reason why this club is going good," Montoya said.

"It's an environment where we are challenged to get better every day, I don't want to be stagnant, I want to learn. 'Ciro' is so precise in everything we do."

During his time in Auckland, Montoya experienced the "Up the Wahs'' movement, which engulfed the NRL's only Kiwi club on their run to the 2023 preliminary final.

"When I was last here there was one season where we won four games across a whole year," Montoya said.

"Nothing beats the passion for this club, good or bad our supporters have your back, they love this club, it's like a religion here."

The Bulldogs are expecting a congregation north of 60,000 for Friday's meeting with Souths.

A win for Ciraldo's side would give them their best start to a season since 1938.

It's no wonder King feels that something special is brewing.

"Last year was one of the favourites of my career … it felt like we revitalised a sleeping giant," he said.

"We want to be there again, and starting the year 5-0 has been awesome. Hopefully we keep that rolling and who knows where it can lead to in 2025."