Comparisons to Klemmer are water off a Dog's back for Napa

Canterbury prop Dylan Napa says people can compare his workload all they want to David Klemmer but he's out to create his own path in the Bulldogs pack following their lacklustre loss to the Warriors.

Former Bulldog Klemmer was enormous in the Knights' 14-8 round one win over Cronulla, running for over 200 metres with three offloads in a dream 65-minute performance on debut for the Hunter-based club.

Comparisons had already begun over the summer, and again on the weekend, as to which club struck the better deal as Napa struggled to make an impact in the Bulldogs' 34-point defeat in Auckland.

The former Rooster could only manage nine carries for 78 metres in 43 minutes with the Bulldogs on the back foot for most of the game.

"It's no secret I've replaced him in this team," Napa said of Klemmer.

"I haven't thought about what anyone apart from my team-mates and coaches think about the game I play. It's only round one. It's a long year.

"You can compare all you want, I'm just saying it doesn't bother me. I judge my games on our team performance, obviously the Warriors put 40 points on us, so I thought it was poor and I need to be better."

I'm six-foot-five with red hair, I've been targeted my whole life

Dylan Napa

Napa averaged 42 minutes of game time in 2018 at the Roosters, down on 2017's figure (47), while his endurance was at its best in 2016 (57 minutes) and 2015 (51 minutes).

But any external pressure on being the marquee signing is not being felt by Napa, who hosed down talk of his reduced workload.

"I didn't come here to play more minutes, I came here to help win football games. That's the main goal and objective," he said.

"I feel like the game I played [at the Roosters] was sort a leadership role, so I don't need to change my game too much. I need to be better for myself and my teammates.

"There's more pressure on myself, it's a lot younger and less-experienced squad, but in saying that we've been good at training. I can't put a finger on what went wrong on the weekend. The beauty of the NRL is we get one week to try and turn it around."

Away from the paddock and Napa is settled following a disrupted pre-season at his new club. He remains prepared though for any future barbs thrown his way.

"I'm six-foot-five with red hair, I've been targeted my whole life," he joked.

"I also have the right to stand up for myself. I'm not worried about being targeted. I've been told everything under the sun, especially the person I'm portrayed to be.

"My family and friends know who I am and my team-mates, that's all that matters.

"If I wanted everyone to like me, I'd go sell ice-creams. That's a quote from Boyd Cordner and I think it's pretty correct. If I wanted everyone to like me, maybe I should get another profession because that's the reality of it."