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Bizarre runaway try puts Tigers on path to Magic win

Bizarre runaway try puts Tigers on path to Magic win

Perth Now03-05-2025

Jahream Bula has shaken off a mid-game ankle injury and scored Wests Tigers' crucial length-of-the-field try in a hectic 34-28 win over St George Illawarra at Magic Round.
The Dragons found some success with their call to drop Lachie Ilias for rookie Lykhan King-Togia but it was rival halfback Jarome Luai who had his fingerprints all over a match-defining first half on Saturday night.
Already down 10 points, Saints had their spirits broken on the stroke of half-time after Jaydn Su'A dived over the line to score what would have been the Dragons' third try.
But just before Su'A hit the turf, the ball inexplicably dropped from the second-rower's grasp without a defender touching him in the wet conditions.
Bula collected the footy and sprinted from the in-goal to score under the posts just before the siren sounded.
In a flash, the Dragons went from what could have been four points down had Su'A scored, to 16 points in arrears and hanging by a thread.
The bizarre turn of events proved pivotal to the end result when the Dragons fought back into the game in the second half.
Bench hooker Jacob Liddle crossed for two tries and closed the deficit to one score, continuing his excellent season to date.
Bula's miracle try also came after he was left struggling to run when his ankle twisted awkwardly in a tackle from Clint Gutherson and Val Holmes.
The sides traded four-pointers in the final 10 minutes as Adam Doueihi and then Dragons forward Hamish Stewart crashed over but the Tigers never gave up their lead.
Replacing the axed Ilias at halfback, teenager King-Togia looked the goods early in his fifth NRL game, sending a flat pass to put Dylan Egan over for the game's first points.
He blew the Dragons' next set in the red zone sending a no-look flick pass straight to Tigers winger Charlie Staines but put Liddle in for his second try after Saints made a break down the left side.
King-Togia now has the same number of try assists for the season as Ilias managed in seven games, according to the NRL website.
Four-time premiership-winner Luai continued to push his NSW State of Origin case laying on two tries in the space of three minutes in the first half.
He put a kick on to the left side that Doueihi fielded uncontested, passing the ball left for Staines, who confirmed a tryscoring double.
After a penalty in the set after points, the Tigers marched up the other end where Luai threaded a grubber kick past the line for Samuela Fainu to score.
The result means that if highly-fancied Canterbury beat Gold Coast on Sunday, the Dragons will finish the weekend as the only side never to have won at Magic Round.
Tigers centre Brent Naden left the contest early in the second half with a knee injury, with Dragons forward Emre Guler joining him on the sidelines with a shoulder injury later on.

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How Galvin won Bulldogs players over in private meeting
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How Galvin won Bulldogs players over in private meeting

Stephen Crichton has lifted the lid on the Lachlan Galvin meeting that won over Canterbury players, with the teen questioned about his motivations for joining the Bulldogs. Galvin appeared to be largely embraced by Canterbury players during his first game there on Monday, mobbed by teammates after scoring a try in his 23-minute stint. There had been speculation in the lead up questioning the impact Galvin's arrival would have at Belmore, with Canterbury top of the NRL ladder since March. Galvin's ugly Wests Tigers exit dominated headlines for two months, while Crichton and other ex-Panthers remain close with Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai. Crichton said he did not like the fallout from the issue, including suggestions the playmaker would not be well received at the Bulldogs. "I don't really like it either, but I feel like you don't know someone unless you actually meet them," the Canterbury captain said from NSW State of Origin camp. 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"Once you put that at the forefront of your mind, regardless of who's in the team, you want the club going in the right direction." Stephen Crichton has lifted the lid on the Lachlan Galvin meeting that won over Canterbury players, with the teen questioned about his motivations for joining the Bulldogs. Galvin appeared to be largely embraced by Canterbury players during his first game there on Monday, mobbed by teammates after scoring a try in his 23-minute stint. There had been speculation in the lead up questioning the impact Galvin's arrival would have at Belmore, with Canterbury top of the NRL ladder since March. Galvin's ugly Wests Tigers exit dominated headlines for two months, while Crichton and other ex-Panthers remain close with Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai. Crichton said he did not like the fallout from the issue, including suggestions the playmaker would not be well received at the Bulldogs. "I don't really like it either, but I feel like you don't know someone unless you actually meet them," the Canterbury captain said from NSW State of Origin camp. "You can have an opinion about someone, but unless you go up there and speak to them you never know how that person is. "That's probably what I got from Lachy, because I never really met him until he got to the club. "When he did get there the biggest thing was he was happy. "He loves his footy, comes from a loving family, and the connection between the boys and him is probably the most vital thing." Crichton said teammates had sounded out Galvin in a team meeting over why he had opted to move to Canterbury, after gaining a release from the Tigers. Galvin will stand to earn more money over the next 18 months after exiting Concord, but knocked back bigger long-term contracts when signing with the Bulldogs. "That kind of question popped up ... 'what's your motivation? What drives you?'" Crichton said. 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"Regardless of where you sit in the team it's always what the club needs and the team goes first. "Once you put that at the forefront of your mind, regardless of who's in the team, you want the club going in the right direction." Stephen Crichton has lifted the lid on the Lachlan Galvin meeting that won over Canterbury players, with the teen questioned about his motivations for joining the Bulldogs. Galvin appeared to be largely embraced by Canterbury players during his first game there on Monday, mobbed by teammates after scoring a try in his 23-minute stint. There had been speculation in the lead up questioning the impact Galvin's arrival would have at Belmore, with Canterbury top of the NRL ladder since March. Galvin's ugly Wests Tigers exit dominated headlines for two months, while Crichton and other ex-Panthers remain close with Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai. 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But Crichton said the Bulldogs' culture meant players embraced the idea of a team-first mindset at the club and Galvin squeezing someone out would not be an issue. "It's the kind of culture that we're building right now," Crichton said. "Regardless of where you sit in the team it's always what the club needs and the team goes first. "Once you put that at the forefront of your mind, regardless of who's in the team, you want the club going in the right direction."

How Galvin won Bulldogs players over in private meeting
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Stephen Crichton has lifted the lid on the Lachlan Galvin meeting that won over Canterbury players, with the teen questioned about his motivations for joining the Bulldogs. Galvin appeared to be largely embraced by Canterbury players during his first game there on Monday, mobbed by teammates after scoring a try in his 23-minute stint. There had been speculation in the lead up questioning the impact Galvin's arrival would have at Belmore, with Canterbury top of the NRL ladder since March. Galvin's ugly Wests Tigers exit dominated headlines for two months, while Crichton and other ex-Panthers remain close with Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai. Crichton said he did not like the fallout from the issue, including suggestions the playmaker would not be well received at the Bulldogs. "I don't really like it either, but I feel like you don't know someone unless you actually meet them," the Canterbury captain said from NSW State of Origin camp. "You can have an opinion about someone, but unless you go up there and speak to them you never know how that person is. "That's probably what I got from Lachy, because I never really met him until he got to the club. "When he did get there the biggest thing was he was happy. "He loves his footy, comes from a loving family, and the connection between the boys and him is probably the most vital thing." Crichton said teammates had sounded out Galvin in a team meeting over why he had opted to move to Canterbury, after gaining a release from the Tigers. Galvin will stand to earn more money over the next 18 months after exiting Concord, but knocked back bigger long-term contracts when signing with the Bulldogs. "That kind of question popped up ... 'what's your motivation? What drives you?'" Crichton said. "We just wanted to learn what was the honest truth with everything. "It wasn't about money and things like that, it's just coming to learn, for one. "And two, him being a better person and to be a better footy player as well. I feel like he's landed at the best club for that." Crichton said he believed halfback would be Galvin's long-term position, having already been impressed by the 19-year-old's ball work and commitment. The Bulldogs played Galvin in the halves when he entered the field against Parramatta on Monday, with off-contract No.7 Toby Sexton moved to hooker. Starting hooker Reed Mahoney appeared to cut a dejected figure in Canterbury's sheds following the game, having been granted permission to look elsewhere. But Crichton said the Bulldogs' culture meant players embraced the idea of a team-first mindset at the club and Galvin squeezing someone out would not be an issue. "It's the kind of culture that we're building right now," Crichton said. "Regardless of where you sit in the team it's always what the club needs and the team goes first. "Once you put that at the forefront of your mind, regardless of who's in the team, you want the club going in the right direction."

How Galvin won Bulldogs players over in private meeting
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  • Perth Now

How Galvin won Bulldogs players over in private meeting

Stephen Crichton has lifted the lid on the Lachlan Galvin meeting that won over Canterbury players, with the teen questioned about his motivations for joining the Bulldogs. Galvin appeared to be largely embraced by Canterbury players during his first game there on Monday, mobbed by teammates after scoring a try in his 23-minute stint. There had been speculation in the lead up questioning the impact Galvin's arrival would have at Belmore, with Canterbury top of the NRL ladder since March. Galvin's ugly Wests Tigers exit dominated headlines for two months, while Crichton and other ex-Panthers remain close with Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai. Crichton said he did not like the fallout from the issue, including suggestions the playmaker would not be well received at the Bulldogs. "I don't really like it either, but I feel like you don't know someone unless you actually meet them," the Canterbury captain said from NSW State of Origin camp. "You can have an opinion about someone, but unless you go up there and speak to them you never know how that person is. "That's probably what I got from Lachy, because I never really met him until he got to the club. "When he did get there the biggest thing was he was happy. "He loves his footy, comes from a loving family, and the connection between the boys and him is probably the most vital thing." Crichton said teammates had sounded out Galvin in a team meeting over why he had opted to move to Canterbury, after gaining a release from the Tigers. Galvin will stand to earn more money over the next 18 months after exiting Concord, but knocked back bigger long-term contracts when signing with the Bulldogs. "That kind of question popped up ... 'what's your motivation? What drives you?'" Crichton said. "We just wanted to learn what was the honest truth with everything. "It wasn't about money and things like that, it's just coming to learn, for one. "And two, him being a better person and to be a better footy player as well. I feel like he's landed at the best club for that." Crichton said he believed halfback would be Galvin's long-term position, having already been impressed by the 19-year-old's ball work and commitment. The Bulldogs played Galvin in the halves when he entered the field against Parramatta on Monday, with off-contract No.7 Toby Sexton moved to hooker. Starting hooker Reed Mahoney appeared to cut a dejected figure in Canterbury's sheds following the game, having been granted permission to look elsewhere. But Crichton said the Bulldogs' culture meant players embraced the idea of a team-first mindset at the club and Galvin squeezing someone out would not be an issue. "It's the kind of culture that we're building right now," Crichton said. "Regardless of where you sit in the team it's always what the club needs and the team goes first. "Once you put that at the forefront of your mind, regardless of who's in the team, you want the club going in the right direction."

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