Galvin ends month of headlines with try in Bulldogs win
Lachlan Galvin has announced his Canterbury arrival by scoring a try and taking over as halfback, helping the Bulldogs stay top of the NRL in a 30-12 win over Parramatta.
After a fortnight of speculation around his playing position, Galvin was forced to wait 57 minutes before entering the field against the Eels on Monday.
When the teenage recruit did come on, he did so at half, with off-contract No.7 Toby Sexton shifting to hooker, in the surest sign yet of the Bulldogs' long-term plan.
Galvin responded by being heavily involved in Canterbury's attack, and linking with five-eighth Matt Burton in the lead up to a Viliame Kikau try to put the Bulldogs up 18-12.
And, after Harry Hayes crossed to make it 24-12, Galvin capped his arrival in the No.23 jersey by scoring his first try in Bulldogs colours to seal the match.
After putting fullback Connor Tracey into space on the right edge, Galvin backed up on the play and ran onto a Josh Curran pass to score after a Jacob Kiraz offload.
A TRY FOR THE NEW BULLDOG... LACHLAN GALVIN 🗣️#NRLBulldogsEels Telstra Moment of the Match. pic.twitter.com/FErQJ0KQlc
— NRL (@NRL) June 9, 2025
Galvin had been one of the most divisive figures in rugby league for the past two months, such was the nature of his highly-publicised exit from Wests Tigers.
But there was nothing but love from Bulldogs fans, with a crowd of 59,878 in Accor Stadium on Monday.
The 19-year-old's name was chanted before he even entered the field and he earned a standing ovation as he ran on and again with each of his first touches.
And the roar was enormous when he crossed late in the match, 10 days after officially putting pen to paper on a three-and-a-half year deal with the Bulldogs.
Notable too was how impressive Sexton's kicking game was for Canterbury before Galvin came on.
The Bulldogs' regular halfback also entered Monday under intense scrutiny, given he is off-contract and seemingly unlikely to now be re-signed.
Canterbury were able to dominate field position for the majority of the match, only for Parramatta's resolute defence to keep them in the contest.
Burton scored early for the Bulldogs when he picked off a Ryley Smith pass from a scrum and went 60 metres to score.
But the Eels returned the favour moments later when Zac Lomax intercepted a Burton pass and put Mitch Moses into space to score a 90-metre try.
The Bulldogs took a 12-6 lead back when Burton went to the shortside in the 20th minute and sent Marcelo Montoya over.
However the match swung again when Viliame Kikau was sin-binned for dagerous contact on a kicking Moses just before halftime and the Eels levelled the score on the next set.
Canterbury went 14-12 clear when Moses was penalised for a high shot in the 50th minute, before the Bulldogs ran away with it late with Galvin the centre of attention.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cricket's world showdown finally lives up to its billing on thrilling first day
Over the week of lead-up to its third staging, the World Test Championship final has felt increasingly like something that counts. After two abandoned attempts to host it at Lord's, having been diverted first to the Hampshire Bowl and then to The Oval, it is finally being held at cricket's original headquarters. On the first day of the match, with a surge of people up St John's Wood Road, whether for a sensible start time of 10:30am or spilling over into an occasionally sunny afternoon, forming an eventual crowd of over 26,000, this at last felt like vindication of concept. Related: Incongruity of World Test Championship final fails to dampen Australian excitement | Geoff Lemon Advertisement Of course, cricket being cricket, this also means that the game's biggest interests are right now lining to sabotage it. The Indian board plans to take the next final to their cavern in Ahmedabad, where about 13 people will show up to watch, especially if it's a neutral fixture. Even India Tests when Virat Kohli was playing drew paltry crowds there. Partly their move will be motivated by a thirst for prestige, partly by India having already lost two finals in England. It is comically being framed as a 'bid', while everyone in cricket knows that that the BCCI does not do any bidding, but only has its bidding done. England, meanwhile, the only team that could credibly provoke complaints about home ground advantage, have spent the last cycle disparaging the tournament. Home advantage is only a factor if you qualify for the final, which England have conspicuously failed to do at every opportunity, so their manner has more than a touch of fox and grapes about it. The attitude has filtered through to a decent portion of England's cricket media, who criticise the format, but of course the structure is janky – international cricket's unequal relations between participants make some level of jank inevitable. Disgruntled English voices may be cheerier if the ECB's millions of pounds of annual expenditure could produce players able to count how many overs they had bowled in a session. And yet, and yet, there would have been plenty of English cricketing hearts gladdened by the second hour of the match, as South Africa's fast bowlers came to play. It had to be the premier quicks, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, if they were to really challenge Australia, and both did the job perfectly: keen to bowl after winning the toss, bringing aggression and accuracy, four down for 67 on the stroke of lunch. For the biggest Test in the calendar, Australia's batting configuration has a makeshift current composition, with Marnus Labuschagne opening and Cameron Green at three, and the collective failed to fire. Usman Khawaja spent the last Australian summer on the hop, repeatedly jumping and fending at pace to be caught behind the wicket. Swap Jasprit Bumrah for Rabada and the same mode occurred. Green pushed across the ball in being caught the same over. Labuschagne was kept dry before finally being drawn into a push and an edge, while Travis Head fell into an long-held habit of nicking down the leg-side. Advertisement And so the urge from an English view, or any neutral perspective really, to see Australia knocked over by a team with fewer resources, was well fed by lunch, only for that excitement to be gradually sapped as it has so many times before by Steven Smith. Three months without a bat in hand seems a good recipe for the former batting obsessive on this evidence, as he moved perfectly into line with the outswinging ball, waiting with patience to punch it through the off-side, before stepping to the slightly straighter line to turn it fine down the leg. In a country where he has eight centuries, and on a ground where he has two, a bigger innings looked a lock for Smith once he had Beau Webster locked in for support. That didn't happen in the end, Smith having what for him is a modest stay of just under two hours. But as the scoring patterns of this match emerged, his score of 66 is beginning to look as effective as a hundred elsewhere. Australia were all out 212 and still reach stumps as favourites, with South Africa 43 for 4. This was always likely to be the biggest disparity: South Africa's often fragile batting, featuring solid domestic types and white-ball bashers, against Australia's quicks. Ryan Rickelton has a fine domestic record but won't have faced an attack of this pedigree. Wiaan Mulder wants to believe, but is an all-rounder and a makeshift number three. Tristan Stubbs is a white-ball smasher yet to credibly make the transition. Aiden Markram has high class but a record that doesn't sufficiently reflect it. All were out cheaply, among sharp bounce and smashed stumps. Overnight, then, the match awaits another test. Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham need to mimic the rescue job of Smith and Webster. If they don't, and South Africa fall over, the scrutiny on their path to qualification will intensity. That shouldn't be the case, because lopsided Tests occur between all strengths of nations all the time, but it will. If instead they can take it up to Australia again, as they did in the first session, they will solidify fondness in the hearts of neutrals, for the match as much as the team. Beyond parochial views, this is what a global final should be about. The concept is right, but there is more vindication to achieve.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kagiso Rabada five-for hands South Africa initiative before Australia fight back
Kagiso Rabada took five wickets as South Africa seized the early initiative in the World Test Championship final before Australia fought back on Wednesday. Rabada overtook Allan Donald to become his country's most prolific Test wicket-taker by claiming five for 51 as Australia were bowled out for 212 on the opening day at Lord's. Advertisement Yet on what proved a fine day for seam bowling, Australia hit back to reduce the Proteas to 43 for four in their reply before the close. Steve Smith ensured Australia recovered from a difficult start (Ben Whitley/PA) Australia initially struggled in gloomy conditions after being put in to bat by Temba Bavuma. Rabada made his mark early on as he removed Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in the space of four deliveries. Marco Jansen – who finished with three for 49 – also caused problems and accounted for Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head. That left Australia 67 for four but their innings was repaired by the ever-dependable Steve Smith, who overcame a difficult start to carve out 66. Advertisement In the process he became the leading overseas Test run-scorer at Lord's, reaching 591 before being caught – at the third attempt – by Jansen at slip off the spin of Aiden Markram. He had shared in a fifth-wicket stand of 79 with Beau Webster, who had survived two lbw scares in his own less-than-convincing start. The first saw him escape on review and the second, off Rabada, would have seen him removed if Bavuma had reviewed. He rode out those difficulties as he went on to top-score in the innings with 72 from 92 deliveries. He helped Australia to 190 for five at tea but then Keshav Maharaj prompted a collapse by bowling Alex Carey, who attempted an ill-fated reverse sweep on 23. Australia got themselves back into the game before the close of day one (Ben Whitley/PA) Rabada returned to account for Pat Cummins and Webster and finished off the innings by bowling Mitchell Starc after Jansen had cleaned up Nathan Lyon. It took his career wicket tally to 332, two ahead of Donald. Advertisement South Africa's batters were unable to build on the work of their attack as Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs all fell in a difficult 22-over session. Starc took two for 10 with Josh Hazlewood and Cummins grabbing a wicket apiece.


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
4-star OL Zykie Helton announces commitment
4-star OL Zykie Helton announces commitment Four-star offensive lineman Zykie Helton has committed to the Georgia Buldlogs over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida State Seminoles and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Helton was previously committed to Alabama from July 2023 to March 2024. The 6-foot-2, 290-pound interior offensive lineman plays high school football for Carrollton High School in Carrollton, Georgia. Helton is the No. 31 interior offensive lineman in the class of 2026, per Rivals. The Carrollton star is the No. 54 recruit in Georgia. The 247Sports Composite ranks Helton as the No. 457 recruit in the country. Helton joins three-star offensive lineman Zachary Lewis in committing to Georgia football this week. Helton is Georgia's 14th commitment in the class of 2026. The Bulldogs now have the nation's No. 5 recruiting class after Helton's decision. Helton announced his commitment to Georgia via social media. He joins Carrollton star wide receiver Ryan Mosley in committing to the Bulldogs. Coach Kirby Smart and Georgia have three offensive line commitments in the class of 2026 in Helton, Lewis and four-star offensive tackle Graham Houston. The Bulldogs have the best recruiting class in the SEC. Zykie Helton's commitment announcement Follow UGAWire on Instagram!