Bulldogs fans will see their long-term halfback on Monday. It's not Lachlan Galvin
'We got 45,000 to this game last year and I think we can do better this year. So, really hoping a big crowd turns up and that'll be a great experience for our young reserve grade side too. Mitch Woods is going to have his first game. Young Mitch Woods, people have seen him on the horizon for a while.
'He's going to have his first start in the NSW Cup on the weekend because we wanted him to experience Accor Stadium with a good crowd there. There'll probably be 30 or 40,000 there to watch the reserve grade in the afternoon. Make a day's entertainment out of it and come out and watch the football.'
Gould has assured Woods that Galvin's arrival won't impede his progress towards an NRL career. The Bulldogs are yet to work out whether Galvin's best long-term position is five-eighth, halfback or in the back row. Galvin had success in the latter position as a junior at Western Suburbs Magpies, as part of the 2022 Harold Matthews Cup title-winning team.
The Bulldogs are hoping to break the record attendance of 65,305 fans for a standalone NRL fixture, a mark set during their Good Friday win over South Sydney. If they achieve that ambition, the club could be on track to surpass AFL's Sydney Swans as the city's most-attended football team by the end of the season.
The Bulldogs have already enjoyed a win over the Swans in securing the signature of Woods. The St Patrick's College Strathfield graduate was part of the Swans academy, but ultimately chose league over Australian Rules.
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Gould has taken a personal interest in the development of Woods, who he has previously compared to arguably the greatest Bulldog of them all, former No.7 Steve Mortimer. The Bulldogs also have another promising playmaker in Cassius Tia, prompting the welcome headache of how best to utilise Galvin, Matt Burton, Tia and Woods when all of them are in a position to contest for first-grade spots.
A decision on whether Galvin plays the Eels won't be made until closer to game day.
'He's virtually been in there all day, every day,' Gould said. 'He's been in and around the coaches and the video room and he won't go home. They can't get him to go home. He's on the training field for an hour after everyone's finished …
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