Gould explains Galvin backflip, provides update on contract negotiation

Canterbury Bulldogs director of football Phil Gould has moved to explain the club's decision to sign Lachlan Galvin, despite previously claiming they wouldn't be in the hunt.

It emerged on Sunday that Galvin, who was already a confirmed departure in 2027, had, or is about to, sign with the Canterbury Bulldogs effective immediately after they and the Wests Tigers agreed on a $165,000 transfer fee.

The Tigers reportedly wanted to close the book on Galvin sooner rather than later, given the fallout since he signed, and the Bulldogs and Eels were in the hunt.

Jason Ryles at the Eels had confirmed his club would make a play for Galvin as their Dylan Brown replacement, but reports suggest Galvin, who took a big pay cut to play for Canterbury, saw himself improving better under Cameron Ciraldo at Belmore.

The move will stretch Canterbury's salary cap and leaves questions about exactly how the Bulldogs will line up for the remainder of 2025 with Matt Burton and Toby Sexton the club's current halves.

Gould said on Channel 9s broadcast of Sunday afternoon footy between the New Zealand Warriors and Canberra Raiders that while a deal wasn't done, he hopes it will be locked away in the next 48 hours, with Galvin confirming his preference was to become a Bulldog.

"What I understand of the situation is that Lachlan Galvin has expressed his desire to play with the Bulldogs. We still haven't closed off on a deal yet, and there are still some things that have to be worked out with the Wests Tigers about his release," Gould said on the broadcast.

"I'd hope within the next 48 hours we have far greater clarity, but Lachlan, to his credit, has come out and said his preference is the Bulldogs, so we will try to accommodate that."

Quizzed on why the Bulldogs had at one stage said they weren't interested in signing Galvin, Gould said the goalposts had moved, and that not having to wait 18 months to find out whether he would join the club for 2027 or not played a major part.

"I don't think I used the term wasn't interested. What I said is that we'd stick to our program," Gould said.

"When he first told the Wests Tigers he wasn't going to play in 2027, he was still contracted to the end of '26. As far as we knew, he would be playing with the Tigers again in 2026.

"Even if we wanted to sign him for 2027, we couldn't negotiate until the first of November this year. That's 18 months to hang around wondering whether you've got a player.

"That didn't suit our time frame. I said we would stick to our programs that we have got.

"What happened this week is the goal posts moved incredibly because all of a sudden we got a call on Tuesday from the manager to say that there was a chance they were negotiating a release from the Tigers, and he would be available virtually now.

"That's something we had to give consideration to. Previously, we would have had to wait 18 months to consider him."

Galvin's move to Belmore will almost certainly see the departure of halfback Toby Sexton at the end of the year, although there are concerns around how a Matt Burton and Lachlan Galvin - who are both predominantly five-eighths - halves combination would perform.

There is some talk that Matt Burton could play at either fullback or centre, allowing Galvin to play five-eighth alongside either utility Bailey Hayward or youngster Mitchell Woods, while Galvin could also be trained into a different position, with some suggesting he will wind up playing as a ball-playing lock forward.

Sexton's departure could set up a frenzy on the open market, with few quality halfbacks available and a number of clubs likely wanting to sign a new face for 2026.