Lachlan Galvin reveals classy Bulldogs initiation
Lachlan Galvin has given an incredible insight into the culture of the Bulldogs, revealing club leader Viliame Kikau’s unique way of ingratiating the star five-eighth to the Kennel.
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Lachlan Galvin used a notepad and pen, listing the pros and cons between Canterbury and Parramatta, before ending the biggest contract saga of the NRL season.
In the end, the 19-year-old says he chose to leave the Wests Tigers and sign with the Bulldogs until the end of 2027 because he wanted to step out of his comfort zone and “grow up’’.
“I’m the type of kid that likes to be in a bubble, in my comfort zone, and at the end of the day to be the best footy player I want to be, I had to get out of that and I had to explore and see something new,’’ Galvin said on Monday.
“That’s the main reason why I’ve chosen to make this decision.
“I don’t know any of the players at the Dogs, I’ve never played with one of them. I’ve come in there all brand new, knowing no one.
“Personally, that’s a pretty big leap for me. It’s a massive move for me.
“And it’s probably one of the main reasons I went there, it’s taken me out of my comfort zone and circle.
“So I think that’s going to teach me so much and make me grow up even more.’’
With no questions off limits, albeit restricted due to strict legal conditions related to his Tigers release, Galvin used the 20-minute interview to address the many layers to his messy, ugly and at times personal exit from the Tigers, the club for whom he made his NRL debut in 2024.
ALMOST AN EEL
So close was Galvin to signing with Parramatta, it’s understood that the Eels had a verbal agreement with his management team on Friday, May 23, that the rising star would link with the blue and golds.
Within 48 hours, Galvin had informed the Bulldogs he was headed to Belmore.
“I was back and forth with the Doggies and Eels,’’ Galvin said.
“I had a pretty big meeting with me, my family, (managers) Adam (Brahme) and Isaac (Moses) and we just went through the positives and negatives and put them all together.
“I wrote a lot of stuff down.
“I think if you write it down and look at it from both angles, both positives and negatives on the piece of paper — and I’m not saying there were more negatives at Parra, but I just came up with my final decision and it was the Dogs.
“Having mum and dad listen to what I thought was the best decision for me, I had their support and they were going to back me on whatever decision I made.’’
MEETING GUS
Bulldogs GM of football Phil Gould is widely considered the architect behind the Galvin deal.
However, according to Gould, he never met Galvin during the club’s pursuit of the talented footballer — a position many within the game have questioned.
Galvin offered his own insight.
“I never met Phil Gould (during the contract talks),’’ Galvin said.
“I had a talk with Cameron Ciraldo, Liam Ayoub (Bulldogs recruitment officer) and Luke Vella (Bulldogs assistant coach), myself, Adam (Brahme), Isaac (Moses) and my dad (James).
“They were the only people in the room that we spoke to.
“I actually met Phil at training (last Saturday), that was honestly for the first time.
“He came up to me and it was good to meet him. I was pretty nervous to be honest.
“He said he was excited for me to be at the club.
“He asked how I was going after a big couple of months.
“He showed me around the club a bit and there was pretty much no footy talk. It was more about how I was and my family.’’
SIXES AND SEVENS
All of Galvin’s 31 NRL appearances have been at five-eighth, with the gifted ball runner producing 20 tackle busts in his 10 games for the Tigers this season.
His move to Canterbury, given Matt Burton has the No.6 jersey at his disposal, has led to debate over whether Galvin has the skill of a halfback.
Asked where he believes he’ll play, Galvin said: “Whatever Ciro (Ciraldo) tells me, to be honest.
“If he wants me to play on the wing, I’ll do whatever.
“Obviously I prefer playing in the halves. If that’s seven or six, I’m just going to put my best foot forward and work hard.
“Obviously being still so young I’ve got so much development to do and Ciro can get that out of me.”
Galvin added that he suggested to Ciraldo that he play NSW Cup to begin his Canterbury career.
“I have to earn my stripes and earn the boys’ and coaches’ trust,’’ he said.
“There’s no way I’ve come to the club thinking I should be straight into the six or seven, or whatever.
“I have never thought of that, whatsoever.
“I’ve spoken to Ciro about going back to reserve grade and if I need to, I will. It’s his decision.
“The Dogs are coming first, they’re the best team in the comp at the moment. There’s no way I can expect to come into that team straight away.’’
The teenager wouldn’t be drawn on the possible impact that his arrival could have on the rest of the roster, including current halfback, Toby Sexton.
“That’s up to the people that are higher up than me,’’ Galvin said.
“That’s something I’m not thinking of.
“I obviously want to go in there and just earn the boys’ trust.
“That’s what I’m going to do and I’m going to do that by showing them that I want to be there.
“I’m going to do everything I can to win, to keep the season rolling.
“It obviously takes time for them to trust me. But I want to show them that I care and I want to be on the journey by doing whatever the team needs me to do.
“I’ve said ‘hi’ to Toby, we trained together (on Saturday).
“But that’s (contracts and future) not something we spoke about. To be fair, that’s not something I talk about with any player.
“I don’t even talk about it with some of my best mates at the Tigers.
“We were doing passing drills together and stayed out and did extra kicking together after training, so everything felt fine.’’
WELCOME, KID
With Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton granted the weekend off to recover from State of Origin duties, senior back-rower Viliame Kikau provided a unique way to welcome Galvin to the Kennel.
“On my first day I went in, the boys got right around me,’’ Galvin said.
“They were coming up and talking to me about what has obviously been happening (with my contract). It’s been everywhere.
“They really got behind me. I actually led them out onto the field yesterday for the first time.
“Viliame Kikau told me that I had to lead them out.
“I said, ‘whatever you want, Viliame, so long as you don’t hurt me’.
“He said, ‘it’s your first day, mate, you’ve got to lead them out.’
“That’s just showing they care about me and they want to make me feel welcome.
“That’s obviously a great sign.
“It’s going to take longer than a week to fit in. It’s going to take a fair few weeks and months, but getting to know them is something I really want to do.’’
LEGAL MATTERS
The overwhelming factor in Galvin’s eventual release from the Tigers was that Galvin’s management issued a legal letter to the Wests Tigers in April, alleging bullying and a failure to provide a safe work environment.
His release from the club was finalised after Galvin agreed to sign a non-disparagement clause in his release terms, which also included an exit fee to the Tigers of $175,000.
The clause is why, when asked, Galvin stopped short of discussing publicly both the bullying claims and the widely-publicised social media posts from now-former teammates Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva at the time of informing the club he wanted to leave at the end of 2026.
“No, I don’t think I can address that,’’ Galvin said.
“Obviously I have that deal (non-disparagement clause), so I will stay away from talking about that.’’
BENJI RELATIONSHIP
Another reported reason behind Galvin wanting to leave the Tigers was that he felt he couldn’t develop as a footballer under the guidance of coach Benji Marshall.
“The main thing is, it was never because of Benji or the club,’’ Galvin said.
“It was just my decision that I wanted to do and what I thought would make me a better player.
“For that, it was about getting out of my comfort zone and exploring something different.
“That’s the main reason why I’ve chosen to make this decision.
“It was nothing to do with Benji or Richo (Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson).
“When Isaac and Adam met with the Tigers (in April) and told them what we wanted to do at the end of 2026, I thought I would be there for the next two years, so I never thought this is where I would be now.’’
LEAVING LUAI
Galvin also responded to suggestions that his strained relationship with former halves partner and Tigers co-captain Luai was behind his desire to leave.
“There was a lot of speculation about how me and Jarome got on, but there was never any time that me and Jarome were enemies,’’ Galvin said.
“We were never like that. We always got on.
“We were obviously halves partners, so we were in spine meetings talking together.
“There was never any malice between us.
“I’ve got so many of my best mates at the Tigers still.
“The boys were supportive. It got out (in the media) that they probably weren’t, but that was never true.
“It will be pretty weird playing them. If a couple of my best mates are playing, that will be fun.
“I want to go out there and play my best.
“I hope those boys also go out there and play their best and I’m wishing the Tigers and all their fans a successful year.
“I hold no grudges.’’
WHY THE DOGS
Galvin confirmed his relationship with former Westfields Sports High coach and current Bulldogs assistant coach Luke Vella was a huge factor in his decision to join Canterbury, as was the culture of which the club had created under Ciraldo.
“100 per cent, Luke Vella is a massive part of the reason why I’m playing NRL at the moment,’’ Galvin said.
“To know that he’s here and that I trust him, he’s just been a massive figure in my footy career.
“It’s going to be exciting to work alongside him. From doing that schoolboys level to now the NRL level is cool.
“I spoke to Ciro and the way he is as a bloke and how he’s got the club going at the moment and how he sees the Dogs in the future was a big thing for me.
“The way they train and work hard and the standards they have at the club, I want to be a part of that.’’
SCRUTINY
Galvin has been exposed to a level of scrutiny that few 19-year-olds encounter so early in their career with every newspaper, TV, radio and social media platform taking a view or opinion on his chaotic exit from the Wests Tigers.
The teenager acknowledged that he’s learned more than he ever knew about handling the spotlight that comes with such a major call.
“You go from schoolboys level, where you play footy for fun and you train three times a week, to be here now, I’ve obviously learned so much,’’ Galvin said.
“I want to take positives out of this and that’s a big one, that I have learned so much and I’ve had to grow up early in my career, earlier than most people, but I’m going to learn from this.
“I don’t have any regrets. I’ll back myself the whole way. I’m confident in myself and I’m going to work hard to play my best footy.’’
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