Bulldogs skipper Andrew Ryan led from the front in his his side's emphatic Legends of League grand final comeback, both setting up and scoring a try to help the club claim back-to-back titles.
The Legends of League tournament is a charity event raising funds for the Mark Hughes Foundation into brain cancer research, with some of rugby league's biggest names in history doing their part at Central Coast Stadium.
The relentless Canterbury veterans fought back from a 14-point defecit against the Barbarians - who consisted of an array of NRL legends from a variety of clubs - with 27 unanswered points in a 27-14 victory.
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Former North Queensland fullback Matt Bowen looked unstoppable as he set up two tries for Amos Roberts and Craig Gower, before sprinting halfway down the field to put the cherry on top with a scorching try.
But Canterbury replied quickly through a darting effort from dummy-half by Tony Grimaldi - who was the man of the match in their last grand final - for their first four-pointer.
Captain Ryan then stepped up to the plate, slipping a signature offload to Sam Perrett for a bonus point try (similar to the Auckland Nines system) to put them within one-point at half-time.
Running out of legs, the brave Barbarians lost playmaker Terry Campese to a leg injury and Michael Crocker soon followed with the same complaint.
It left the Barbarians with just one substitute after they lost Chris Walker and Brett Kearney earlier in the day.
The energy and pace Canterbury set was too hard to keep up with as Ryan claimed their first lead of the game with a bonus point try before Brad Morrin sealed the deal with the final four-pointer.
CHAMPIONS! Back2Back for the Bulldogs. From 14-0 down to 27-14 winners. Holdsworth was unreal. #LegendsOfLeague @legsofleague @NRL_Bulldogs #proudtobeabulldog #dogsofwar pic.twitter.com/WwosUD4iWO
— Matt Attard (@mattard90) November 17, 2018
Luke Patten, Daniel Holdsworth, Willie Mason, Grimaldi and Ryan were all standouts for Canterbury throughout the day.
Bowen and former Dally M Medallist Todd Carney were the shining lights on the Barbarians outfit, while Chris Heighington, Gower and Campese all put in for a solid innings in Barbarian colours.
Canterbury survived a late scare in their semi-final against Newcastle when a Kurt Gidley pass to Ben Cross was called forward, while Matt Bowen scored in extra-time to keep Nathan Hindmarsh's hands away from a premiership as the Eels proved to be the surprise package of the tournament.