Lachlan Galvin made his Bulldogs debut on Monday night, entering the match in the 58th minute and combining with Matt Burton with playmaking duties in the halves.
Toby Sexton was shifted to hooker with Galvin's arrival reshaping the spine and giving Canterbury a second-half lift in their 30-12 win.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo had described a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C in the pre-match interview.
After the game, Galvin explained on NRL360 that he expected to play where he was needed and only received the instruction to move into the halves moments before stepping onto the field.
"I thought I was coming on at lock or centre, I didn't know, and then Ciro told me go into the halves," he said.
"Whatever Ciro wants and the boys need, I'll do it."
The 18-year-old showed few nerves in his first hit-out since departing the Wests Tigers, scoring a try and injecting pace through the middle.
Despite training in the dummy half role briefly during the week, Toby Sexton guided the team impeccably over the first 60 minutes, then assumed Reed Mahoney's position to finish the match.
He adapted quickly and gave the Bulldogs stability in the ruck as Galvin took charge.
"At the end of the day, he's a great kid and from day dot he just wants to learn and get better and he's very young,โ Sexton said.
"He's fit in really well and I don't feel the pressure, I just need to play footy and if I do that well the rest is out of my control."
In the post-match presser, Ciraldo confirmed that Galvin was not in the original 17 and had been earmarked to debut in reserve grade.
"On Tuesday, when I named the team, he wasn't in the team. I thought he would play NSW Cup and he'll just come through there and learn our systems," Ciraldo said.
"But every training session he did, he got better. He understood our systems better, and by the end of the week, it was clear that we needed to have him in the team."
Ciraldo confirmed the club still sees him as a long-term half despite his versatility.
"He plays in the halves. That's his preferred position."
Despite the overwhelming media scrutiny and speculation about his future, Galvin appears to have settled quickly at Belmore.
"That's all in the past now. I just want to play footy and I was smiling and enjoying it out there today," he said.
"With these bunch of boys, it's quite amazing, and the fans got right behind us tonight.โ
The Bulldogs' reshuffled spine worked surprisingly well, with Matt Burton noting the value of the three-halves setup.
"I thought it was good, Galvin came on and added a lot of energy there through the middle and took them on," Burton said.
"He'll only get better as he gets older, and I thought he was great on debut tonight."
While Galvin trained in multiple positions during the week, Burton admitted the squad were unsure how he'd be used until game day.
Stephen Crichton said the club had only seen a glimpse of what Galvin is capable of.
"There's a long way to go with him; tonight was just a little snippet of how good he can be," the Bulldogs captain said.
"I'm very proud he's in the Bulldogs colours now, he's going to be a massive asset to our team."
Sexton's contract for 2025 remains unresolved, but he said Galvin's arrival had actually helped ease the pressure rather than add to it.
"It's obviously been a few weird weeks with Lachie coming to the club, but I thought the moment he came in, all the pressure went away and I could just focus on footy," Sexton said.
"I have a great playing group and staff here, and coming to training every day is so enjoyable."
The win continues Canterbury's push for consistency under Ciraldo, who has encouraged healthy competition for spots and rewarded form over reputation.
