Lachlan Galvin’s bombshell move hinges on one contract clause
Lachlan Galvin’s blockbuster switch to an NRL rival has been locked in, but one contract clause could see it come tumbling down.
NRL
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Lachlan Galvin’s move to the Canterbury Bulldogs is officially official.
The 19-year-old was linked with joining the Dogs earlier in the week after turning his back on a contract extension with the Wests Tigers in April.
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According to Code Sports, the teenager’s drawn out contract saga has come to an end as he puts pen to paper on a contract until the end of the 2028 season.
It will now see him make an immediate move and join his new club this week with his salary reportedly set to see him earn $750,000 per-season.
The blockbuster move however hinges on one major stipulation within his release from the Tigers … a non-disparagement clause.
That clause would legally stop Galvin from discussing the situation surrounding his exit from the merger club and the Bulldogs are reportedly supportive of the Tigers’ demands.
Canterbury will reportedly pay a $175,000 release fee to secure the rising star’s services.
A formal announcement from the club won’t be made until after the State of Origin series opener.
Galvin’s move comes as Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould finds himself in the spotlight after he was accused of deliberately misleading fans.
The switch confirmed rumours that the Bulldogs’ general manager of football had been working behind the scenes to negotiate a deal to lure Galvin from the Tigers.
The 67-year-old had batted his eyelids at the young playmaker with glowing public comments about his abilities for months, but repeatedly insisted the club had no interest in signing him.
And even after that was proven untrue, Gould claimed he had nothing to do with the signing of the talented teenager.
“I never said we weren’t interested (in Galvin). What I said was we’re on a different course because he wasn’t off contract until 2027,” Gould said on Monday night. “We couldn’t talk to him until November.”
But veteran journalist Phil Rothfield believes the latest incident has severely damaged his credibility with both fans and the network.
“I reckon he’s been seriously damaged credibility wise and his reputation has been severely damaged at Channel 9 over this,” Rothfield said on the Off the Record podcast.
“I think the punters are awake to it and they are the lifeblood of every TV network that provides the ratings. I honestly think he’s been badly damaged and people won’t cop his bullsh** anymore.”
While speaking on Triple Ms daily NRL podcast on Tuesday, Rothfield added: “He gets away with so much rubbish and has for years but he’s been caught on the hop here and in my view, he has misled Channel 9 viewers for some time about Lachlan Galvin.
“Rugby league officials do lie and it’s a fact we have to live with but when you are being paid nearly $1 million to sit on a (TV) panel, you are there to inform and say the truth. But this is where Gus gets himself into an awkward situation. As a viewer, he hasn’t been upfront with us.”
Rothfield also noted that what Gould says and what is true are often two very different things.
“Gus was talking his usual crap about not knowing this, not knowing that and trying to cover himself and I don’t think he did a very good job at it,” Rothfield continued about Gould’s 100% Footy appearance on the Off the Record podcast.
“When he says so clearly that Lachlan Galvin is not on our radar, if you’re not on the radar and if the goalposts move you’re still not on the radar. This crap about that he’s the best kid he’s ever seen is also so disrespectful to (Brad) Fittler, (Laurie) Daley and these guys.
“He said Bryce Cartwright will be the best forward the game’s ever seen. He said that in recruitment meetings at Penrith. Then he sent him to the Titans.
“He said Matt Moylan in 2016 was the future of Penrith and would be a lifetime member here. Next year he sold him to Cronulla.”
Phil Gould claims he never intentionally misleads viewers
When pressed on Monday night about if he deliberately misleads people on 100% Footy, Gould categorically denied doing so, and instead pointed the finger at the media for spinning the truth.
“I’m just saying these are things we do internally, most of our issues are created by the jibber in the media and what you want to do and extend on it,” Gould said on Monday night.
“You say a lot of things that just aren’t true. You say a lot of things that are exaggerated. You exaggerate what’s going on and that makes it difficult for us.
“I’m not going to sit here and point out everything you (Chammas) have done wrong, it doesn’t worry or interest me.”
Gould also added: “I misled no one. I mislead no one. Mind your words son.”
However, whether deliberately or not, several of Gould’s claims have ended up not being accurate over the last 12 months.
Late last year Gould denied the Bulldogs were interested in Knights forward Leo Thompson only for Kiwi international to pen a four-year deal with Canterbury in January.
Gould also denied reports that he’d signed Sitili Tupouniua last year only for the club to confirm a four-year deal a week later.
Originally published as Lachlan Galvin’s bombshell move hinges on one contract clause
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