NRL 2025: Lachlan Galvin opens up on his move to the Bulldogs after starring at halfback
Lachlan Galvin is aware of the criticism that's followed his mid-season move to the Bulldogs, but he insists it won't affect him after he celebrated his move to halfback by throwing what his coach described as one of the 'bravest' passes he's seen to lift his side to a dramatic win over the Dragons.
His move from the Wests Tigers dominated the news cycle, and it hasn't stopped since he arrived at Belmore with everyone fascinated by how Cameron Ciraldo would use him.
He's started games on the bench, at five-eighth and even dropped out of the 17, but Galvin will be Canterbury's halfback for the rest of the year after showing signs that he is the trump card they've been missing in attack.
He scored a try in the first half after he backed up a big break by Stephen Crichton, but it's what he did with the game on the line that justified the move to bring him in.
With his side struggling to land the killer blow, Galvin drifted to the edge, waited for Tyrell Sloan to make a decision in defence and then fired a long ball over the top to rookie Jethro Rinakama to score the winner in the corner.
'Natural instincts kicked in and I saw him come up and I just threw it,' he said after the game.
'No pressure (because) I put the work in at training, 'Ciro' and all the coaching staff and the boys have put trust in me. I'm always confident going out there. When I see it, I'm just going to throw it.
'I just saw it and took it, that's pretty much what I do. I saw the pass and I threw it. I'm always going to do that, I'm always going to back my instinct. That's just me.
'I just saw (Sloan) come out pretty early. He'd done it a few times before with kicks at the back. I thought I might as well just throw it. Lucky it paid off.'
The pass could have easily been intercepted but Galvin didn't hesitate with the game on the line.
'To make that play at the end, it's possibly one of the bravest passes I've seen,' Ciraldo said, revealing Galvin had done more than enough to keep the No.7 jersey before he nailed the crucial play.
'We all know he's had pressure on him, so I can't rap him enough for how well he's handled it.
'To trust his instincts and to trust himself to make that play just shows everyone what we've been seeing for the past six weeks.'
Lachlan Galvin and Matt Burton have seven weeks to build their combination heading into the finals. Picture:His position in the team and the effect it's had on other players has been questioned, with fellow spine members Reed Mahoney and Toby Sexton set to leave the club at the end of the year.
Mahoney scored a try on Saturday night while Sexton played well in NSW Cup, with Galvin adamant the outside noise isn't getting to him as he looks to spend the next seven weeks developing his combination with halves partner Matt Burton.
'It is what it is, people are always going to have their opinions but I'm just going to keep working,' he said.
'I listen to the people inside the four walls at Belmore and that's Ciro and all the coaches and all the boys. I keep working hard and for it to pay off tonight and me to keep building for the rest of the year, that's all I'm going to do.
'I'm just here to learn. That's all I want to do. I'm only 20 years of age, I just want to keep building. I'll just keep learning and keep building. Ciro and all the assistants are doing that for me.
'(Burton) is mad to play with, he's got such a strong running game so I'm just trying to free up space for him to use that.
'What I can do for him to get him the ball and get the strike players in our team the ball, that's what I'm going to do. I love playing with him. We're building a good bond now. He's real good out on the field. He talks well. I love him.'
Crichton was impressed with what he saw from the 20-year-old and praised him for how he's handled a turbulent few months.
'He's been copping a lot ever since he came to the club, but we see in our four walls what he does at training,' he said.
'The confidence for him to throw that pass shows what type of player he is. We're happy he's at our club.'
Originally published as 'One of the bravest passes I've seen': Lachlan Galvin breaks down his match-winning play, opens up on the pressure since joining the Bulldogs
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