Why Lachlan Galvin doubts won’t faze Bulldogs coach
Jasper Bruce |
Cameron Ciraldo says the people doubting his plans for Lachlan Galvin are likely the same who questioned Canterbury’s rebuild and their previous recruitments.
Now, the Bulldogs are flying high in second place on the NRL ladder.
Prized mid-season signing Galvin has been named on the bench to face Brisbane on Friday, the third time he’ll come on from the interchange in four appearances since joining from Wests Tigers.
In the previous two, Galvin was substituted in after half-time to play limited minutes next to Matt Burton in the halves, pushing journeyman halfback Toby Sexton to hooker.
Ciraldo has previously suggested he has “plan A, plan B and plan C” for using Galvin, whose large frame and speed make him an option for multiple positions.
But pundits have questioned whether the Bulldogs are still deliberating how best to incorporate generational talent Galvin into their premiership tilt.
Ciraldo says he doesn’t care, intimating that history has shown the doubters will be proven wrong.
Canterbury and Ciraldo memorably raised eyebrows recruiting a handful of utility players ahead of the 2024 season, rather than prioritising beefing up their lightweight middle forward rotation.
But the additions of Kurt Mann, Connor Tracey, Josh Curran and Jaeman Salmon all proved shrewd as the Bulldogs booked their first finals appearance since 2016.
“It’s probably the same voices who are doubting what we did now who doubted our recruitment strategy, doubted our forward pack and doubted a lot of other things we did along the way,” Ciraldo said.
“At the end of the day, how we play towards the back-end of the season, everyone will have an opinion on that.
“But we’re really comfortable with what we’re doing now and how our team is evolving.”
Ciraldo insisted the Bulldogs were unified as to their plans to use both Galvin and off-contract Sexton, who has quietly pieced together the best season of his NRL career.
“We all on the same page and I’ve got a number of good people around me whose opinions I trust inside our four walls, and we’ll continue to do that,” Ciraldo said.
The Bulldogs and Broncos will collectively be without eight State of Origin representatives on Friday night when Canterbury fight to redeem themselves for the sides’ last clash.
Brisbane rode a 34-0 half-time lead to a 42-18 drubbing of the Bulldogs, the first of three losses this year for Ciraldo’s men.
The round-eight defeat has been revisited in the lead-up to the match at Accor Stadium.
“We definitely can’t start the way we did and we can’t play as individuals,” Ciraldo said.
“It’s not too many times this year that we’ve gone out and played like individuals but in the first half of that game we certainly did. I really don’t want to see that again.”
AAP
