Why Gus Gould won’t be the reason Lachlan Galvin signs with the Bulldogs

Many think Canterbury GM Phil Gould will be the reason Lachlan Galvin lands at the club. But the blue and whites have a more important secret weapon that most have missed in the drama, writes DAVID RICCIO.

There’s a tattoo on Lachlan Galvin’s forearm that reads “I.N.F.E.”

The initials stand for “It’s not for everyone”, a favourite saying of his former coach at Westfield Sports, Luke Vella.

You wonder how many times Galvin has looked down at his forearm and read those words over the past week.

Amid suggestions of bullying teammates, disturbing threats from fans and the widely missed reveal from Wests Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai that, “I’m here. I’m here for the long haul”, when asked by reporters about the get-out clauses in his five-year contract, emerged the name that viewers watching NRL 360 last Wednesday night wouldn’t have thought twice about.

The reality is, they should’ve.

Canterbury assistant coach Luke Vella coached Lachlan Galvin at school-level. Picture: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Vella, the assistant coach to Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo, is the man that Galvin lays praise as one of the “top three reasons I’m playing in the NRL”.

“You get into the NRL now and it’s really not (for everyone),” Galvin told The Daily Telegraph during the pre-season last January.

“You’ve got to work hard, it’s so much dedication. There’s so much you’ve got to sacrifice.

“What he’s (Vella) done for my footy and how much he helped me and how much he guided me through school and that. He was massive for me.

“I thought I’d get them (the tattoos) on me and remind me of the people that have helped me.”

Unlike the senior players of the Wests Tigers, Vella, 30, has undoubtedly checked-in on Galvin during the past week.

Galvin has previously told the media stories of how he has remained in contact with his former schoolboys coach with the pair sharing a bite to eat or phone chat every few weeks.

Look close enough at Lidcombe Oval on Monday and it wouldn’t surprise to see Vella supporting the 19-year-old during his axing to NSW Cup with Western Suburbs.

So who is Vella?

Vella played juniors for the Bulldogs until he suffered a devastating injury in the under-20s.

Aside from coaching Westfield Sports to the crown of the best schoolboys team in the country by smashing Palm Beach Currumbin 38-4 in 2023, where Galvin scored two tries and was awarded the Peter Sterling Medal for player of the tournament, Vella is a former Bulldogs player who played with the 2014 under-20s team.

In the process of making a tackle, Vella lost the large majority of use in his left arm. He suffered a devastating brachial plexus injury.

Three of his nerves that ran down the left side of his body had been torn, cutting off the messages being sent from his brain to his arm.

It is similar to the injury suffered by former Wests Tigers star Simon Dwyer, whose career was cut short by a tackle in 2011.

Fortitude, perseverance and resilience are clear character traits of Vella.

You can’t help but think that Vella’s attitude has rubbed off on Galvin this week, with the teenager rejecting the option to stand down from playing NSW Cup, instead turning up to training with a smile and a willingness to be the last off the training paddock at Concord Oval last Thursday afternoon.

Vella’s elevation to the assistant coaching role alongside Ciraldo is result of his desire and coaching success with the club’s Jersey Flegg side that won the premiership in 2023, the club’s first Jersey Flegg title in 20 years.

Galvin still speaks to Vella regularly. Picture: Jeremy Piper

“There is none more familiar with Bulldogs’ values in hard work and resilience as Luke,” Dogs GM of football Phil Gould said of Vella’s elevation to the NRL coaching staff last season.

“He is an outstanding young coach who has made a huge impression since transitioning from a player in our development pathways to a coaching and development role.

“The result from the Jersey Flegg squad and the calibre of talent coming through is a testament to his coaching skill and he has worked hard to earn this opportunity. He has a very bright future in the game.”

The Eels, with their five-eighth jersey available from the impending exit of Dylan Brown, plus Galvin’s already established relationship with Mitchell Moses, through their shared manager Isaac Moses, are favourites to secure the young playmaker’s signature.

However, the Dogs despite their seemingly settled squad, haven’t ruled out making a play for Galvin.

If they do, the biggest influence on the deal getting done won’t be Gould.

It will be Vella.