Strapping young rugby league centre Jamal Idris is providing a rare shaft of hope for the Bulldogs towards the end of what departing coach Steve Folkes has described as a "nightmare" season.

Idris, 18, made a strong debut in the Dogs' 26-12 loss to Parramatta at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

Standing well over 190 centimetres and weighing over 100 kilos, he troubled Parramatta with his size, strength and mobility.

The rookie's eye-catching display couldn't prevent the Bulldogs slipping to their 17th loss in 22 games and from setting an unwanted club record for the most points conceded in a season, with two rounds remaining.

Asked for his thoughts on his lengthy tenure, as a player and coach, Folkes said: "The last couple of weeks if you had asked me that I would have said I can't wait till it's over, I've mixed feelings.

"It's obviously been a long association and I have had some fantastic times.

"This year has been a nightmare, but I guess if you put it in with all the great times I've had, then it's not so bad.

"But this year has been extremely frustrating and disappointing. It's nobody's fault, it's just one of those things that happens in sport all the time."

Folkes was pleased with the form on Saturday night of winger Matt Utai, captain and second rower Andrew Ryan and emerging youngster Charlie Leaeno and felt his side performed much better than in recent weeks, especially defensively.

He made special mention of talented athlete Idris, who finished 10th in the discus final when representing Australia in last year's world youth track and field championships in the Czech Republic, before switching to rugby league.

"I thought Jamal Idris made a terrific debut, he showed he's a good first grader of the future," Folkes said.

He stopped short of guaranteeing Idris would start the Bulldogs' last two games, but suggested he would probably retain his spot for the coming home game against the Broncos.

"His first 20 minutes was fantastic, the pace of it caught up with him a little bit I think and he started cramping 15 to 20 minutes into the second half," Folkes said.

"But he certainly showed his strength and his speed and he can certainly jump and catch the ball.

"Whether he stays there (in first grade) or not, it's hard to say, but certainly on that performance you would think he would be there next week."

Parramatta coach Michael Hagan was also impressed.

"He played well, I thought he handled the step up pretty good and he was a handful," Hagen said.

Former Bulldogs star Hagan offered some encouraging words to his old club.

"I thought they played particularly well, probably the best they've played for a long time," Hagen said.

While Bulldogs forward Brad Morrin was placed on report for a high tackle on Eels fullback Jarryd Hayne, Hagan said he thought there wasn't too much in the incident.

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