Winter has just begun but the temperature could reach boiling point for one NRL coach when Canterbury face St George Illawarra on Monday.
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Bulldogs coach Dean Pay and Dragons counterpart Paul McGregor enter the contest under immense pressure with their respective teams winless this season.
Lacklustre defeats last week when the competition emerged from its coronavirus lockdown has many questioning the future of both coaches.
Pay is off-contract at the end of the season, but the heavy criticism prompted Canterbury to deny his head is on the chopping block.
St George Illawarra have been deathly silent on whether McGregor will serve out the remaining 18 months of his deal.
Pay, who welcomes back injury-plagued star Kieran Foran for the clash at Bankwest Stadium, brushed away questions about his job on Sunday.
"All I can control is what we do tomorrow, and that's all we've been focusing on this week," Pay said.
"I'm not looking any further past what happens tomorrow."
Pressed about reports the club legend has been frozen out of recruitment decisions, Pay said: "No.
"We just come in, get on with what we're doing.
"The only way we can stop all that is through our performances."
Foran's inclusion is expected to be among a raft changes to the Bulldogs' line-up before kick-off, most of which are in the backline.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is likely to be shunted to the wing, with Will Hopoate taking his spot at fullback and rookie Jake Averillo starting in the centres.
"At some stage during the game, we might change it up," Pay said.
McGregor has opted to shake up his team, with Corey Norman moving to fullback, Ben Hunt to five-eighth and 25-year-old Adam Clune to debut.
"He's a talented kid. He's quick and takes the line on," Pay said of Clune.
"Obviously he's not that young, but it's his first game... He'll be excited about what he can do."
The Bulldogs had to overcome a breach in biosecurity protocols this week after legend Terry Lamb came into contact with players from outside the bubble.
The club was on Friday issued a suspended $25,000 fine for the breach.
STATS THAT MATTER
* Canterbury will be hoping to avoid losing their opening four games of the season for the first time since 1971.
* The Bulldogs' 75 per cent winning record (12 of 16 games) against St George Illawarra since 2012 is their best against any opponent over the same period.
* The Dragons will want to avoid losing seven straight games in NSW for the first time in club history.
Australian Associated Press
