Redemption will be at the forefront of Canterbury minds when coach Trent Barrett returns to 4 Pines Park on Sunday.
The former Manly boss will battle his old club for the first time since last season's horror 66-0 shellacking, the third-largest defeat in the Bulldogs' history.
Against the club he guided for three seasons before he was unceremoniously dumped for current coach Des Hasler, Barrett acknowledged last year's thrashing had been a personal lowlight of the three-win campaign.
"That day we had 10 blokes still eligible for under 20s ... it wasn't a true reflection of where we were at," he said.
"It was hard. Last year was difficult, you learn a lot about each other and you learn a lot about a lot of people at your club when you go through tough times.
"We've made a lot of changes the last 18 months and we're heading in the right direction. We need to back up our last two performances and play well Sunday."
But it's the Sea Eagles who enter the clash most in need of a win after starting their year with consecutive losses, most recently a relatively uncompetitive 26-12 defeat to the Sydney Roosters.
Both sides head in with unchanged line-ups from their last outings, with Manly desperate to get more from star fullback and reigning Dally M medallist Tom Trbojevic, who hasn't found the line yet this year.
But Barrett warned his side should expect a tough slog, particularly away from home.
"They're a pretty good side, especially going over to Brookvale," he said.
"Any team with (Daly Cherry-Evans) in it and Jake (Trbojevic) and Tom (Trbojevic), (Martin) Tapau and (Kieran) Foran, they've got a hell of a lot of good players and we've got them at Brookvale opening a new stand.
"We've certainly got a hell of a lot of respect for their side."
