Phil Gould shares ‘conversation’ with Lachie Galvin in Bulldogs ‘sales pitch’

Bulldogs boss Phil Gould has made a telling admission about Lachie Galvin and opened up about Canterbury’s pursuit of the Tigers star.

Phil Gould is remaining coy about whether the Bulldogs will pursue Lachlan Galvin after the young playmaker’s shock decision to leave the Wests Tigers.

Galvin now is set to be dropped for the Tigers’ Easter Sunday clash against Parramatta after he refused to entertain a new $5 million contract and the Tigers announced he would leave after next season.

It was reported on Tuesday that Galvin would be dropped for the Parramatta game and his No.6 jersey likely given to Adam Doueihi.

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CODE Sports reports that Galvin’s axing came after a player mutiny, with Phil Rothfield writing: “On Monday night the Wests Tigers leadership group, that included Jarome Luai and Api Koroisau, fronted coach Benji Marshall and said they didn’t want Galvin in the team.”

Reports also emerged Galvin was unhappy about playing second fiddle to Luai in the halves and was unimpressed with the direction and mentorship under Benji Marshall.

Attention is now turning to which club will land Galvin, with the Eels, Bulldogs and Roosters in the mix.

Gould, Canterbury’s general manager of football, was glowing in his praise of Galvin when speaking last year on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast.

“Lachlan Galvin will earn more money out of rugby league than any player in history,” Gould said last August.

“I think he’s the best teenage footballer I’ve ever seen. I think what he is doing is absolutely extraordinary.

“I’m obsessed with him. I love watching him play … I’m excited to see how he goes with Jarome Luai at the Wests Tigers

“I think in the future, whoever has Lachlan Galvin in their side will be winning premierships.

“I’m not even worried about putting raps on the kid because he is probably the most exciting young playmaker I’ve seen coming through in a long time.”

Jarome Luai, Lachie Galvin and Jahream Bula ahead of the 2025 NRL season. Picture: Richard Dobson

Gould grilled on Galvin pursuit

Speaking on Monday night, Bulldogs boss Gould said he had previously spoken with Galvin and given him some general advice about his career, adding he never expected the teenager to be available on the open market so soon.

“With Lachlan Galvin, as a 19-year-old kid, the one conversation I had with him was, ‘Your goal is to be the best 22-year-old player you can be’,” Gould said on Nine’s 100% Footy.

“When you come out of Jersey Flegg and Under-21s, you’re goal is to be the best 22-year-old footballer you can be.

“Therefore you put yourself in an environment for the next two or three years where you’re learning the game, learning to be a professional, learning to train and understanding what it takes to be a professional footballer, the importance of being in a team.

“That’s the part of his career that he’s in right now. He’s not in the million dollar part of his career and not where he’s deciding whether or not a club is right for him. This is his club right at the moment.”

Watch Gus Gould’s latest comments about Lachie Galvin in the video above

Phil Gould has talked up Lachie Galvin.

Pressed on whether he would be interested in acquiring Galvin, Gould didn’t rule out pursuing Galvin but highlighted the club’s development system including players such as Mitchell Woods, Harry Hayes, Bailey Hayward and Jack Todd.

“We’ve got other plans at the Bulldogs,” Gould said.

“We’ve got a pathways system, we’ve got kids coming through and never in my wildest imagination would I have thought a Lachlan Galvin would ever come on the market, particularly not in this way or this soon.

“We’ve got other plans. I’ve got other kids there that are in the embryo stage of their career and we’re developing them as well.

“It’s not something you can put on me right now … a lot of water can flow under the bridge.

“My recommendation to him and his management and his parents would be you need to be the best 22-year-old because you’re career is not really going to start until you’re 24 or 25 — that’s when your real career is going to start.”

Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Storm legend Cameron Smith asked Gould: “Would the Bulldogs be a great environment for him to develop?”

Gould replied: “I hope we’re a great environment for any young player. That’s what we’re trying to do.

“Player managers and parents can get ahead of themselves in what they should be earning or how soon they should be playing NRL. Don’t be in a hurry to play with the big boys. There's plenty of time.

“Don’t be in a hurry to get the money, there’s plenty of time. If you’re good enough you’ll get it.

“People get very impatient and it makes it very hard — particularly with the aggressive player managers that we have today and the money that gets thrown around today — to explain it’s best for their career to hasten slowly and look after their own development.

Gould added: “Does that sound like a sales pitch?”

Galvin’s time at the Tigers may end soon given he has been dropped for this weekend’s game against Parramatta — incidentally the Eels are one of the frontrunners for Galvin’s signature given he played junior football at Parramatta earlier in his teens.

Galvin’s manager Isaac Moses also looks after Eels halfback Mitchell Moses.

The Sydney Roosters have also been mentioned as a potential destination for Galvin, but Nine reporter Danny Weidler told 100% Footy: “The Roosters won’t deal with Isaac Moses.”

It remains to be seen how the internal unrest will impact Wests Tigers’ insistence that Galvin will see out his contract, ending after the 2026 season.

Frustrated Tigers players reportedly may want Galvin released from the club early and potential long-term half Latu Fainu (currently injured) brought into the side permanently, earlier reports said, to put the team and its future first; especially given Galvin’s apparent lack of faith in Marshall.

Originally published as Phil Gould shares ‘conversation’ with Lachie Galvin in Bulldogs ‘sales pitch’