Two weeks ago, Canterbury’s attack struggled, with young playmaker Lachlan Galvin taking too many touches and runs as he learns to watch, wait, and strike at the right moment. Last week marked a turning point against Penrith, the unbeaten league leaders, where Galvin orchestrated a stunning upset. Now, he faces Parramatta—the club that attempted to sign him from Wests Tigers before he joined the Bulldogs—while aiming to deliver consistent game-winning performances.
Mastering Eyes-Up Footy Against Penrith
Galvin shifted his approach against Penrith, focusing on reading the defense and balancing runs with passes in what players call ‘eyes-up footy.’ The Bulldogs attacked early but faced an obstruction call after Jacob Preston collided with Blaize Talagi, halting Connor Tracey’s charge. Undeterred, they swung left, enabling Viliame Kikau to score the opener.
Spotting vulnerability in Penrith’s left-edge defense, Galvin repeatedly targeted Talagi—an old school friend on a similar rise—leaving the young talent with nine missed tackles by full time.
Key Combination with Jacob Preston
Galvin’s partnership with Preston on the right edge, honed over 10 months, proved vital. After Penrith equalized post-halftime, Galvin exploited a gap between Talagi and Isaiah Papali’i, drawing defenders before a short pass sent Preston over for the lead. Penrith scored no more points.
Following a gritty 17-minute exchange marked by errors from both sides, Galvin’s short ball to Preston again breached the left edge, allowing Sitili Tupouniua to score the decisive try.
Andrew Johns praised the duo post-match: “I loved the combination on the right side with Preston—just put that on all the time, the short passing. There are still some flaws in the way he plays, but what I love about him, he wants the ball in his hands. He stands up [and says], ‘Give me the ball’. He’s still learning his game. He’s only a really young guy. He’s not a natural halfback, but he’s learning his trade. And if he’s learning his game, he’s learning the players around him. That combination there is building and building and building. So they got their plays.”
Building Versatility Across the Field
Johns highlighted Galvin’s next challenge: forging links with teammates like Kikau and Tupouniua from various positions. “He has to get to the other side and build his game with Viliame Kikau. He has to work out how to get to Tupouniua into space. He has to work on his plays for the dummy half. He has to work on his plays here with Bailey Hayward. That’s the part of the halfback. You’ve got different parts of the field. You need to work your game out from [those] different parts of the field, but what compliments the players in the back row and the centres and the fullback. But [it was a] big game for him tonight, big game.”
Coach Praises Milestone Performance
Coach Cameron Ciraldo refrained from calling it Galvin’s best NRL outing but acknowledged sharp decision-making in his 50th game. “A lot of people say it takes 50 games to feel like an NRL player or understand it a lot. I thought he was brilliant. He controlled the game for long periods, he did what he needed to do, he didn’t overplay his hand, he’s improving every week. And, he has to deal with a fair bit, Lachy. There’s always question marks asked about him and he’s handled it great.”
