Lachlan Galvin joins Canterbury Bulldogs effectively immediately, ending two-month Tigers contract saga
Lachlan Galvin is officially a Bulldogs player, with the 19-year-old Belmore bound after securing a release from Wests Tigers, ending a wild two-month contract saga with the club.
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It’s official, the Bulldogs have signed Lachlan Galvin.
The 19-year-old will join the Kennel, effective immediately, bringing an end to his two-month contract saga with the Wests Tigers.
Galvin will link with Canterbury as soon as Thursday on a deal that will take him through until the end of the 2028 season.
The deal averages out as just over $750,000 per season - and is less than what rival suitor Parramatta were offering.
Up until now, Canterbury have been reluctant to declare Galvin’s signing as a done deal.
That can now be confirmed as official, although the Dogs may hold off from formally announcing the signing until after Wednesday night’s State of Origin opener.
Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson is aware Galvin’s management finalised the deal with Bulldogs GM of football Phil Gould on Wednesday, and is now in the final stages of rubber-stamping his release in conjunction with both the club and Galvin’s lawyers.
Despite claims of bullying from Galvin against the Wests Tigers, it’s anticipated that the release hinges on it including a non-disparagement clause, which will keep the teenage talent from publicly discussing his reasons for leaving the club.
The Bulldogs are supportive of the clause as they want Galvin to focus on his new future at Belmore without the prospect of being tangled up in a war of words with the Tigers.
The Eels can feel hard done by.
Few know how extraordinarily close Parramatta went to signing Galvin, with the teenager likely to reveal, in time, that he had decided to join the Eels last Friday, only to change his mind after speaking with his family and one of his closest mentors, Bulldogs assistant coach Luke Vella across last weekend.
The release from the Wests Tigers includes a $175,000 release fee which CEO Shane Richardson will use at his discretion.
The Bulldogs have a bye this weekend, allowing Galvin to settle into the club’s training program without a major urgency to be rushed into a starting line-up.
He is expected to be named in Canterbury’s 22-man squad to face Parramatta on the King’s Birthday Monday holiday at Accor Stadium in round 15.
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