Collingwood told the Mercury the Bulldogs were struggling under a hefty injury toll and the oppressive weight of losing players to representative commitments.

Bulldog stars Michael Fortier and Dan Stuart remain tied up as part of the NSW Country team.

“There’s no benefit of having good footballers if you don’t get to use them,” Collingwood said.

“We’ve been able to fill the gaps (left by players fulfilling their representative duties) for a long time but it’s hard.

“It makes you wonder if the representative season is worth it.”

Collingwood took a shot at the length of the representative commitments for the top players.

He told the Mercury that fullback Stuart has only played for the Bulldogs three times so far this Tooheys Cup season.

“Yeah he’s had some injuries but the representative season has taken him away for about seven weeks and Mick for about five,” Collingwood said.

The Bulldogs will front up against Macquarie Scorpions at Peacock Field on Sunday in a game Collingwood has admitted is a “must-win” for the Dogs. Kurri are sitting sixth on the ladder, behind the Scorpions on for-and-against.

They need the win if they want to taste finals football this year but Collingwood knows it won’t be an easy task.

As well as Stuart and Fortier, the Bulldogs will be missing Robbie Rockow, who is tied up with Country schoolboys.

Andrew Spicer, Dan Palmer, Luke Mercer, and Simon Craig are out through injury while Aiden Burke and Marty Oborn are doubtful.

“It’s not looking real flash,” Collingwood bluntly said.

“We have had the depth but it’s starting to run thin. It’s getting a little bit heavy and a little bit too much.

“I don’t even know what the teams are going to be at this stage and I won’t know until we finish training on Saturday.

“It’s just been a year we’ve never had the opportunity to put a full team on the park.”

However Collingwood is confident if the Bulldogs stay in touch they’ll be a danger come finals time, with rep footballers back on board and most players recovered from injury.

“We’ve only got to make the semis. Anything can happen then,” he said.

“If we get everybody on the park, our full squad out there, we’ll match it with anyone.”