Lachlan Galvin understands if jilted Wests Tigers fans have “hatred for me” over his messy exit from the club and is prepared to begin his Bulldogs career in reserve grade or from the bench to avoid disrupting Canterbury’s premiership challenge.
Galvin spoke for the first time on Monday after finalising his protracted release from the Tigers, insisting that he had no issue with million-dollar halfback Jarome Luai, coach Benji Marshall or club officials.
He also dismissed the widely held belief that disillusionment with Marshall’s coaching contributed to his departure, but understands if Tigers fans don’t forgive him anytime soon.
“I understand where [Tigers fans] are coming from. I think they can have their opinion, and they can have their hatred and that against me. I understand that,” Galvin told Nine News, insisting as well that his controversial manager Isaac Moses’ issues with the Tigers and Marshall played little part in him moving on.
“This whole thing was my decision. I had told Isaac what I wanted, and he says ‘yes’. I’ve run this thing, I’ve backed myself, and I’m a pretty confident kid in that way. I’ve chosen what I’ve wanted, and obviously we’ve got all this backlash from it, and I’ll take that on the chin because it’s something I’ve driven.”
The 19-year-old declined to go into allegations of bullying during his time at the Tigers, given the terms of his release to Belmore prevent him from doing so.
Luai and Tigers winger Sunia Turuva both made pointed social posts when Galvin’s contract saga exploded in mid-April. Despite that, the star five-eighth insisted he had not fallen out with Luai and other teammates over a decision “made in my best interests”.
As Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo weighs up a club debut for the teen star against Parramatta – who also went hard for him to partner Mitchell Moses – Galvin backed Marshall’s handling of him as a young playmaker.
Galvin’s shift from Concord to Belmore has been the biggest story of the NRL season, and particularly galling for beleaguered Tigers fans given he had been positioned as the club’s future and pitched a $5.5 million, six-year extension accordingly.
He has instead taken up a Bulldogs deal worth around $2.5 million until the end of 2028, and said Marshall’s coaching did not cost the Tigers their most promising local junior in a decade.
“Benji was great to me, I’m so grateful for Benji giving me my debut,” Galvin said.
“It wasn’t coaching, it was more just developing, and that was all on me. I wanted a change, and I just felt a change would get me out of my comfort zone.”
Of a reported falling out with Luai, Galvin said: “Jarome [and I] got on fine. We probably weren’t going over each other’s houses, having sleepovers and that.
“People like to think that we never got on, but behind the scenes we were always talking and never got to a point where we hated or never spoke to each other.”
Ciraldo was instrumental in Canterbury trumping the Eels for Galvin’s signature, along with assistant Luke Vella, who coached Galvin at Westfields Sports High School and remains a trusted confidant.
Galvin was emphatic in his belief that he is an NRL-standard halfback, but said coach Cameron Ciraldo had not promised him the Bulldogs No.7 jersey occupied by off-contract halfback Toby Sexton.
Despite being one of the best young halves in the game, Galvin’s signing has been met in some quarters with fears it could destabilise the ladder leaders, particularly given Sexton is expected to depart at season’s end and hooker Reed Mahoney has also been given permission to test the market early.
Galvin said he and Ciraldo had discussed the prospect of being eased into the Bulldogs set-up either against the Eels or in coming weeks, which he has no issues with.
“I’ve already spoken to Ciro about that,” he said.
“We’ve had long talks about reserve grade and coming off the bench and