Do something or get hooked: threat that sparked Corey

Corey Harawira-Naera has revealed withering threats from his own teammates that he would be 'hooked if you don't bloody do anything' sparked the two tries that shot the Bulldogs to victory over North Queensland.

Harawira-Naera's stunning second-half double and trysaving defence earned him man of the match honours in Canterbury's 24-12 win on Friday night as the Bulldogs broke a three-game losing streak.

That and the full wrath of both his team-mates and coach Dean Pay, after a disrupted preparation had Harawira-Naera in all sorts for the first 40 minutes.

"The whole first half I felt like I was letting the team down a bit," a candid Harawira-Naera said afterwards.

[Pay] pulled me up in front of the team (at halftime) and I'm all for that if I'm not playing up to standard.

"I let Michael Morgan through once. You don't need to be a genius to know that you shouldn't let a line break through.

"I was doing it myself at halftime and everyone had to pick me up a bit. I was getting told out there 'if you don't bloody do anything he's going to hook you'.

"… Even though they didn't score, they did go through me.

"The boys are ripping you on the field because they're busting their arses. I came in at halftime and everyone said I was a bit erratic, a bit all over the place.

"It was up to me in the second half and I did a better job. The tries are good but defensively I was happy I didn't leak those line breaks like I did in the first half."

All's well that ends well for the hard-running Kiwi forward, who will likely make a mental note ahead of next year's Anzac weekend.

It was the extra on-field commemorations that threw Harawira-Naera's pre-game routine out of sync, the requirement to be in kit and on the field 15 minutes earlier than usual limiting his warm-up time.

That Harawira-Naera was able to turn it all around in 40 minutes is testament to the talent and ball-running ability that has him touted for a New Zealand Test call-up later this year.

So, too, the soft spot the former Panther held in the heart of departing club patriarch Phil Gould, who was overcome with emotion when farewelling Harawira-Naera and Tyrone Peachey at Penrith's 2018 presentation night.

After an off-season that took its toll on one of rugby league's most polarising figures, Harawira-Naera took the time to check in with the man who first gave him his crack at an NRL career.

"He looked after me when I was out there, it was the least I could do. It was a short conversation but I wanted him to know that I care and I still care about the boys out there," he said.

"Just giving me a chance to come over here. That's all I wanted - an opportunity. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here."