By James Standley BBC Sport Online

The Bulldogs are flying high in the NRL and are just four games away from matching the Sydney Roosters' record of 19 consecutive victories.

With success on the field and an impressive new stadium, it might seem that the Dogs are enjoying the best years of their lives.

But the success comes despite off-field problems that make the team's winning run all the more remarkable.

Originally from the working-class south west of Sydney, the club used to play at the Belmore ground and included Canterbury Bankstown in their name.

But following the Sydney Olympics the club moved to the Sydney Showground, which was built to host the Olympic baseball tournament.

Price has called on more fans to attend matches

The move has not proved popular with many fans,

Attendances have fallen, prompting captain Steve Price to write an open letter imploring fans to come along and support the team.

Crowd trouble at Bulldogs' matches has also contributed to the fall in attendances, but nothing seems to be able to stop their winning run.

After losing one and drawing the other in their first two matches, they are now four points clear of Queensland giants Brisbane Broncos and five clear of reigning champions Newcastle Knights.

That is a remarkable achievement for one of the oldest clubs in the league.

They entered the old Sydney competition back in 1935 and have seven titles to their credit, with the last coming in 1995.

The Bulldogs now play at the Sydney Showground

Originally known just as Canterbury Bankstown, their first nickname was the "Country Bumpkins" because of their CB emblem and rural location.

By 1967, they were known as "The Berries" and recorded one of the most famous wins in Australian rugby league history when they ended the reign of the legendary St George team.

St George had won the competition for the 11 previous years but fell in the last four to Canterbury, who then lost to South Sydney in the final.

Canterbury adopted the "harder" Bulldogs nickname in 1978 before, following the resolution of the Super League wars of the 1990s, they found themselves in the NRL.

Big game

With players of the calibre of Price and exciting youngsters Braith Anasta and Willie Mason, the Dogs are not short of quality.

And they will need their stars to be at their best on Sunday, 28 July, when they travel north to face the Newcastle Knights.

It will be a remarkable feat if they can win in front of the Knights' passionate fans and move within three games of the Roosters' record.

But as they have already proved this season, they are nothing if not resilient.

And a 16th consecutive win would show that, despite their off-field problems, they are one of Australia's great rugby league clubs.