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An embattled Canterbury side put a nightmare week behind them with a plucky display in a loss to NRL premiership fancies Parramatta.

Canterbury coach Dean Pay has hailed his team for putting aside a disastrous week and showing some resilience in their season-opening loss to Parramatta.

The Bulldogs were rocked this week after Jayden Okunbor and Corey Harawira-Naera were stood down for their role in a sex scandal last month.

However, Pay's side proved they were able to put the drama behind them with a plucky display against one of the premiership fancies.

"So proud of them. We've had a difficult week, the boys that turned up tonight really showed a lot of spirit, a lot of heart, to care about the place," Pay said.

He said he was always confident his team would perform against the Eels.

"But the guts and heart and ticker that they showed and they kept turning up for each other, some of it you can't coach. It's just in them," Pay said.

"They either want to do it or they don't. And they want to do it."

The scandal also resulted in the club losing a reported $2 million in sponsorship, and created damaging headlines for the code on the eve of the season.

"You can't get away from it. It's in your face all the time," Pay said.

"(But) it is what it is. We need to make sure that we keep doing what we're here to do, and that's to play the best footy we can play."

The focus now turns to the future of both Okunbor and Harawira-Naera, who have until Tuesday to argue why they shouldn't face further disciplinary action.

Both players, who have stopped training, could have their contracts torn up.

"It's got to take its course, take its process. That's where it's at," Pay said.

"For us, the club, the players, our job is to get on with doing what we do and getting prepared for footy each week."

While they were held try-less, Pay found plenty of positives out of the Bulldogs' performance, including the efforts of hooker Jeremy Marshall-King.

Joe Stimson and Dean Britt made their club debuts, while young five-eighth Brandon Wakeham showed plenty of promise alongside Lachlan Lewis.

"Jeremy Marshall-King played 80 minutes, which is an enormous effort for a kid that hasn't played any trials or any footy at all," Pay said.

"We had three-four guys there that hadn't played a trial.

"We've got two really young halves. I thought they were great, Lachy and Brandon Wakeham. There's a lot of positives to what we did tonight.

"We can build some more momentum off the back of that."