Lachlan Galvin has signed with the Canterbury Bulldogs, making his move from the Wests Tigers official. The deal runs until the completion of the NRL 2028 season. It’s a huge turnaround for Galvin, who was said to be set to depart Wests Tigers only six weeks ago. This positive move comes after discussions between Galvin’s manager and Bulldogs executives. It implies that he might be prepared to contribute to the squad immediately.
Wests Tigers coach Phil Gould had let drop before the draft that Galvin was indeed on their radar. He did suggest a new emphasis on the very young talent. “We’ve got other plans at the Bulldogs … we’ve got kids coming through,” Gould stated six weeks ago. Unknown to them, this comment presaged the later decision that would cause Galvin to look elsewhere.
Transition from Wests Tigers
After all, news reports appeared a full six weeks ago. They reported that Galvin was unlikely to re-sign with the Wests Tigers when his contract runs out at the end of next season. However, at the same time, Gould teased that more players were in the works. They would have wide latitude to step into the void left by Galvin.
Earlier this week, there was speculation he would return to his junior club Parramatta. Then the Canterbury Bulldogs made their move and emerged as the front-runner for Galvin’s services. Gould noted, “What happened this week was the goalposts got moved incredibly because all of a sudden we got a call on Tuesday from the manager to say that there was a chance they were negotiating a release with the Tigers and he would be available virtually now.”
A New Opportunity at Canterbury Bulldogs
Overall, Galvin’s best days undoubtedly lay ahead of him thanks to his big physical frame and still raw potential. During his junior career with Parramatta, he had played in the back-row. He does have an excellent frame and tons of room to add more muscle mass so the potential is there. Gould expressed his excitement about Galvin’s potential, emphasizing, “I hope that Canterbury Bulldogs will be a great place for Lachlan Galvin to develop.”
Beyond these accomplishments, Gould pushed Galvin to set big goals for himself. “I urged Lachlan to aim to become the best 22, 23 or 24-year-old player,” he said. This release of guidance is indicative of Gould’s dedication to developing talent from within the Bulldogs’ ranks.
Future Prospects
Although negotiations seem to be moving forward, there are other issues that need to be settled concerning Galvin’s release from Wests Tigers. Gould remarked, “Lachlan Galvin has expressed his desire to play with the Bulldogs, we still haven’t closed off on a deal yet and there are still some things that have got to be worked out with the Wests Tigers about his release.”
