Canterbury Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo has taken aim at critics and the outside commentary targeting mid-season recruit Lachlan Galvin.
Losing their past two matches against the Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos, Galvin has found himself in the front of headlines once again, with many critics insinuating he is the main reason behind their losses.
In four matches, Galvin's arrival has seen the Bulldogs shake up their spine, with Toby Sexton often moving to the dummy-half role and Reed Mahoney leaving the field - Matt Burton was even named in the centres last week.
While the former Wests Tigers five-eighth has not been the main reason behind their drop in form, he has been an easy target for critics to blame.
Revealing that Galvin could have been better last week, Ciraldo insists that the intense scrutiny surrounding him is unnecessary and even over the top to a certain degree.
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“Some of the commentary around him is ridiculous," Ciraldo said ahead of the clash against the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday night.
"He is a 19-year-old kid who has changed clubs mid-year, and looking to improve his football.
"Our job internally is to help him through that process, guide him and protect him. He is doing a great job turning up and trying to get better every day.
"I don't know why there is so much attention on him or why it comes to that.
"We had a number of players last week who didn't play the way they would have like to have played and unfortunately Lachy was in the headlines for a lot of that."
In the press conference, Ciraldo also provided an injury update on the condition of Marcelo Montoya, who is set to spend at least six weeks on the sidelines after undergoing a procedure on his neck.
The winger, who is in his second stint at the blue and white after rejoining the club this year following a four-year stint at the New Zealand Warriors, has scored eight tries in 15 appearances this year.
He will miss games against the North Queensland Cowboys (away), St George Illawarra Dragons (home), Manly Sea Eagles (home), Wests Tigers (away), New Zealand Warriors (home) and Sydney Roosters (away).
“He's been struggling with that neck for a while now,” Ciraldo added.
“It was an incredibly tough effort to keep playing through with that over the last few weeks, especially this Origin period.
“He probably could have had surgery a couple of weeks ago, but he chose to delay it a little bit to help the team through that Origin period when we were missing a number of players.”
