Latest news with #Belmore
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Lachlan Galvin spills on Phil Gould saga as he reveals true motives for leaving Wests Tigers
Lachlan Galvin has denied meeting Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould before agreeing to join the club, as he opened up about the true motives behind his move to Belmore. The 19-year-old's contract saga has dominated the rugby league news cycle for several weeks, and it all came to a head when he signed with the Bulldogs on around $750,000 a season, after turning down a monster $6 million contract extension offer from the Tigers. The Bulldogs' general manager of football Gould had batted his eyelids at Galvin for months, yet any time his club's interest was brought up he in no uncertain terms shut down any talks of bringing the teenager to the club. So after he was confirmed as the Bulldogs' latest signing, on 100% Footy last week, Gould was grilled by reporter Michael Chammas, with the general manager insisting it was completed without his input and he in fact had never even met the teen phenom. 'I haven't met Lachlan Galvin. What I do know is there is not another CEO, not another general manager or recruitment manager that has to sit on a panel and answer these questions,' a frustrated Gould said. Since then many have speculated if Gould was telling the truth, due to the fact he seemingly deliberately misled the public about the club's interest in the young playmaker. But Galvin has now put the record straight on Gould's role. 'I never met Phil Gould (during the contract talks). I had a talk with (coach) Cameron Ciraldo, Liam Ayoub (Bulldogs recruitment officer), Luke Vella (Bulldogs assistant coach), myself, Adam (Brahme), (manager) Isaac (Moses) and my dad (James),' Galvin told 100% Footy on Monday night. 'They were the only people in the room that we spoke to. I actually met Phil at training (last Saturday), that was honestly for the first time. 'He came up to me and it was good to meet him. I was pretty nervous, to be honest. He said he was excited for me to be at the club. 'He asked how I was going after a big couple of months. He showed me around the club a bit and there was pretty much no footy talk. It was more about how I was and my family.'' Lachlan Galvin reveals why he chose the Bulldogs Galvin also revealed that a main factor in his decision to join the Bulldogs was a belief Ciraldo could get the best out of him. The teenager says he doesn't care which position Ciraldo wants to play him and is prepared to prove himself in reserve grade or off the bench before taking a spot in the starting side. 'I've already spoken to Ciro about that, we've had long talks about reserve grade and coming off the bench,' he said. 'I'm all for it, it's wherever is best for the team.' Galvin also used the opportunity to shut down suggestions his agent Moses was behind his decision to leave the Tigers. Galvin's management, led by Moses, reportedly had no interest in listening to the Tigers' offer for their client and informed the club that he had no faith in Marshall's coaching ability, believing he didn't have the tools to develop Galvin into a star of the game. However, Galvin said Moses didn't pressure him in any way and the decision to leave was solely his, with Moses doing nothing more than executing his wishes. 'This whole thing was my decision,' Galvin insisted. 'I told Isaac what I wanted and he said 'yes' and that's basically it. I've run this thing, I've backed myself. I'm a pretty confident kid in that way, I've chosen what I wanted. 'Obviously we've got all this backlash from it and I'll take that on the chin. I can say wholeheartedly this was all driven by me.' Galvin is expected to make his Canterbury debut against the team he snubbed, the Eels, in Monday's King's Birthday clash.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Secret document flips script on Lachlan Galvin salary drama as Bulldogs primed for NRL premiership
Lachlan Galvin's move to the Bulldogs has been clouded in controversy as many questioned where he fits into Canterbury's side, but a secret document shows it may be the final piece of their NRL premiership puzzle. The teenager's future was finally confirmed on Friday, with the Tigers releasing him and the Bulldogs later confirming they had signed him on a three-and-a-half-year deal worth around $750,000 a season. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. However, his arrival at Belmore means halfback Toby Sexton – who has been a revelation in 2025 – is expected to make way. Therefore many Bulldogs fans felt bringing the 19-year-old was not only unnecessary but could destabilise the club, who are first on the NRL ladder. But statistically, the Bulldogs' bid to end their 21-year premiership drought is only boosted by the arrival of Galvin, with their roster now ready for a serious title challenge, according to the NRL's confidential benchmarking documents. The salary cap documents, obtained by Code Sports, outline the average wage for each position and provide somewhat of a blueprint for building a premiership-winning roster. And they revealed that last year's top four spent 40 per cent of their salary cap on their top five players and 60 per cent on their top 10 players – meaning the top five paid players are paid $4.5 million. The teams also had an average spine age of 26. So the data says the way to build a premiership-winning team is to have at least three marquee players on $800,000 a season, a younger spine and a top-heavy roster. Incredibly the Bulldogs, with the arrival of Galvin, now tick every box except their overall spend on top players being below the $4.5m benchmark. That is because Canterbury is one of the only clubs without a $1m plus marquee player. Stephen Crichton, Viliame Kikau and Matt Burton are the only three at the club on more than $800,000 a season, with that number up to four when Leo Thompson joins the Belmore outfit. But many could argue Galvin is a $1m player himself, given he was offered more than that a season to stay at the Tigers, which means data-wise wise at least the Bulldogs are primed for a premiership. If you take a look at four-time premiers Penrith, the way their squad is structured is very similar to that of how the Bulldogs. The Panthers' spine had an average age of 26.75, they had three players believed to be earning more than $800,000 a year – Nathan Cleary, James Fisher-Harris and Isaah Yeo – and had other stars just under that mark, Dylan Edwards and Jarome Luai. Salary structures historically also showed those who didn't have several stars on at least $800,000 found themselves near the bottom of the table. Last year, for example, the bottom four teams had an average of 2.8 players in their roster on at least $800,000. So if data and history are anything to go by, the key to building a premiership-winning side is to have several stars on close to $1m a year and a handful of others around the $600,000 to $800,000 mark, and a spine that is reaching their prime and not beyond it.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Galvin SPOTTED at Belmore in Dogs gear
RLG: Wests Tigers have officially announced the departure of Lachlan Galvin effective immediately as the youngster is spotted training at Belmore in Bulldogs' colours.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Galvin given early release from Wests Tigers NRL contract
The Wests Tigers have officially released Lachlan Galvin from his contract with the club. The Tigers released a brief statement late on Friday, saying they and Galvin had "mutually agreed to an immediate conclusion of his playing contract". Galvin, 19, is expected to sign with Canterbury. The announcement came on the same day footage emerged of Galvin wearing Bulldogs' training gear at the club's Belmore training base. "We wish Lachlan all the best with another NRL club," Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson said in a statement. In the same statement, Galvin said: "I am grateful to the Wests Tigers board and management for granting my early release. I wish the playing group success in the future."
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Spotted: Galvin caught in new colours for first time since Tigers split in Dogs deja vu
The Bulldogs are yet to confirm it, but Lachlan Galvin's move to Belmore is all but sealed after one punter snapped a video of the former Tigers playmaker training in blue and white. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The video, which was posted by X user @BecharaRob on Friday, showed Galvin standing on the field at Belmore Sports Ground with a Bulldogs top on. Galvin has reportedly agreed to sign with the Bulldogs on a salary that averages out to $750,000 per season, with the 19-year-old to remain at the club until the end of 2028. While his deal is yet to be formally announced by the club, the Bulldogs were expected to wait until at least after the State of Origin series opener to make it official. Code Sports reported that Galvin's release from his current Tigers contract hinges on a non-disparagement clause being included, which legally stops him from talking about his exit. The Bulldogs were said to be on board with that stipulation along with the $175,000 release fee needed to secure his services for this season. It is not the first time the Bulldogs have had key signing news spoiled, with a photo of second rower Viliame Kikau in team colours alongside former coach Trent Barrett and general manager Phil Gould leaked onto social media in 2021. There had been speculation at the time that Kikau was Belmore-bound, however before the club or Fiji international had a chance to even announce the deal publicly, a grainy photo taken off a security camera found its way onto social media. 'You can't get away with anything these days. It was pretty disappointing. I was really disappointed about it actually,' Kikau told the Sydney Morning Herald at the time. It was later revealed that a Canterbury League Club employee was the culprit behind the photo. Meanwhile, Tigers coach Benji Marshall fronted media on Friday for the first time since Galvin's move to the Bulldogs was widely reported, telling journalists he has 'noticed a real lift in energy' among his playing group. 'Obviously, (we've) got a few guys coming in that haven't played, guys like Heath who've brought a lot of energy to the team and then with our leaders they've been driving a really good preparation coming off the back of a bye,' Marshall said. 'We had a good reflection of where we went good and where we can improve in the first half of the season and we're looking to put those into place this weekend.' The Galvin saga has dominated headlines for over a month now, with Marshall admitting everyone is 'probably a little bit sick of talking about it'. When asked if he was disappointed to be losing the five-eighth, Marshall replied: 'I don't know if disappointment's the word'. 'Look, at the same time we like our players we've got, we love the squad we've got,' he added. 'We're excited about some of the young players we've got coming through and for us, we want to try and make a mark on competition this year and with the squad we've got, we're confident we can do that but we've got to put it together this weekend.'
