Even Des Hasler won’t be able to fly far enough under the radar to avoid the spotlight which will follow the Sonny Bill Williams show next Friday.

Hasler joked that his struggling side, who slumped to a 1-4 record with Friday’s defeat to Manly, were now comfortably under the radar – his favourite place in the NRL landscape.

But the Sydney Roosters back-rower’s first match against the Bulldogs since walking out on the club in 2008 will ensure the focus is not taken off Hasler’s men.

Officials are hoping the highly-anticipated match-up will even outdo the Roosters’ round-one clash with South Sydney, which drew a crowd just shy of 36,000.

And while the Roosters are crowing following a bright start to the season which has them entrenched in the top eight, Hasler’s Bulldogs are losing ground to the NRL’s top teams already.

That was never more evident than on Friday when they were outclassed by the Sea Eagles 20-6.

“We needed to complete well, we didn’t do the fundamentals well, we didn’t hang onto the ball,” Hasler explained.

“And at the other end we just didn’t take the right options, so that’s the disappointing part.

“It’s something that we’ll address during the week and we’ll hop back into it again against the red-hot Roosters.”

It is a match Canterbury fans have been waiting for since Williams fled the country on July 25, 2008.

Williams himself warmed up for what will no doubt be a spiteful showdown with a man-of-the-match performance in the Roosters’ 50-0 mauling of Parramatta.

He’ll be ready; but as for the Bulldogs?

“One from four I can assure you we’re back under the radar again,” Hasler insisted.

Not until the Sonny spotlight shines somewhere else.