'You're accepted, you're loved': Galvin a hit at Dogs
Bailey Hayward says Canterbury teammates already "love" Lachlan Galvin, even if the utility has to admit the new arrival may threaten his spot as the Bulldogs' Mr Fix-It.
Galvin is in the frame for a possible club debut against Parramatta on Monday, only days after his messy exit from Wests Tigers and mid-season arrival at the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs have welcomed Galvin with open arms since his arrival late last week.
Captain Stephen Crichton selected the 19-year-old playmaker to lead the squad out onto the training paddock at a session earlier in the week.
Canterbury's leaders choose a different member of the squad to perform the ritual at each session as a mark of respect.
"It's kind of just all the boys getting around that person for a special occasion, whether it's a milestone game or anything like that," winger Blake Wilson explained.
Hayward said the gesture was the Bulldogs' way of showing Galvin, once ridiculed on social media by some of his ex-Tigers teammates, he was welcome in Belmore.
"That's one thing we probably pride ourselves on, our culture is really big," the 24-year-old said.
"No matter who you are wherever you've come in from, you're accepted. You're loved.
"I hope that's what he's feeling because he's fitted in really well and that's definitely the way it is."
Bulldogs football boss Phil Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast this week Galvin's club debut would likely come from the bench this Monday, if at all.
The 19-year-old is open to progressing through NSW Cup onto a maiden first-grade appearance as the ladder-leaders determine where the versatile teen fits into their team.
Playing Galvin as a bench utility at least initially would throw him into a selection battle with Hayward, who has filled that role during a breakout season.
Hayward, highly prized at the Bulldogs for his leadership qualities, said he would "100 per cent" welcome the internal competition with Galvin.
"There's no animosity or anything like that," he said.
"The club's in a great position to be competing for spots. It's probably a position the club hasn't been in for a while.
"I can only control what I can control and that's putting my best foot forward every day at training, continually trying to work on myself and get better at my craft."
Longer term, Hayward would be open to switching to hooker should the club release Reed Mahoney to a rival club before his contract expires at the end of 2026.
Gould confirmed Mahoney's management was given permission to test the market with the hooker linked to North Queensland, who are losing Reece Robson to the Sydney Roosters at season's end.
Hayward has played dummy-half from the bench at NRL level but is yet to start at hooker in 31 first-grade games.
"Whatever the coach sees me to do, I'll do. Whether that's 9, 13, 6, 7, whatever it is, I'm happy to fill wherever the team needs me," he said.
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Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
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‘Shot of whisky': How Ricky Stuart will cope with son's Canberra debut
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The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Jed Stuart ends dad's sleepless nights with debut win
Ricky Stuart's weeks of sleepless nights are over after his son Jed scored on debut and Canberra held on to beat the Raiders 16-12 at Campbelltown. Following a fortnight of build up to one of the Raiders' most famous debuts in years, Stuart played a key role in Canberra's ninth win in 10 matches on Friday night. His try came as Canberra led 16-0 at halftime, before being forced to defend through a nervy final 25 minutes with the margin just four. The win ensures Canberra will finish the round in second spot, with five straight victories and nine from their past 10 games. Stuart was the story of the night with a try on debut, the four-pointer coming as his proud father Ricky stood on the sideline. The Raiders coach had long known of the 23-year-old's ability, but was hesitant to plug him into Canberra's backline before Savelio Tamale's injury. Stuart Jnr. responded by taking a bomb on attack with his first play, saving a 40-20 with a bat back and then scoring when Seb Kris sent him over in the corner. "This week has been the hardest moment I've had as a coach," Ricky Stuart said. "Because from a father's point of view, I don't want him to come out and be man of the match, I just want him to hold his own. And he did that. "The amount of times I've been waking up at 3am with real bad thoughts ... He didn't have any of those tonight, which was good." While Jed Stuart provided the headline moment, it was Joe Tapine and Canberra's goal-line defenders who proved the heroes. The Tigers spent large parts of the match camped on the Raiders' line, but were only able to break through twice in a five-minute period in the second half. Tapine was crucial. He somehow held up Jarome Luai as the Tigers five-eighth looked certain to get the ball down in the first half, pulling the No.6's arm back up as it went towards the turf. Then moments later it was Tapine who gave the Raiders their first try, running on to a Josh Papalii try and through a gaping hole to score. The Raiders prop had another crucial moment in the second half, pulling off a one-on-one strip to end another Tigers attacking raid in the final 10 minutes. "That's why I've been saying for the past two years I think he is the best front-rower in the game," Stuart said. "There is a lot of athleticism in those efforts." As resolute as the Raiders were, the Tigers were at times their own worst enemies. A Tom Starling try came after Kris brushed through a poor Heath Mason miss, before Jeral Skelton and Jahreem Bula fumbled a grubber and Starling dived on the ball. The Tigers were better in the second half, with Luai coming to life after being well contained before the break. Backing up just two days after Origin II and following cross-country travel, he sparked the Tigers to life when he grubbered for a chasing Alex Seyfarth to score. Luai had it at 16-12 moments later when he first put Adam Doueihi into space, before backing up on the next play and combining with Latu Fainu to send Starford To'a. But a denied try from a forward pass, Tapine's strip and another overturned late penalty for a Skelton hair-pull meant the Tigers were consigned to a fifth straight loss. "Looking at our last two games, the four-time premiers (Penrith), taking them to the wire and almost winning. And the team that is second on the table, giving ourselves a shot today," Tigers coach Benji Marshall said. "I know the results have gone the other way, but it's not proud off where we've got to be." Ricky Stuart's weeks of sleepless nights are over after his son Jed scored on debut and Canberra held on to beat the Raiders 16-12 at Campbelltown. Following a fortnight of build up to one of the Raiders' most famous debuts in years, Stuart played a key role in Canberra's ninth win in 10 matches on Friday night. His try came as Canberra led 16-0 at halftime, before being forced to defend through a nervy final 25 minutes with the margin just four. The win ensures Canberra will finish the round in second spot, with five straight victories and nine from their past 10 games. Stuart was the story of the night with a try on debut, the four-pointer coming as his proud father Ricky stood on the sideline. The Raiders coach had long known of the 23-year-old's ability, but was hesitant to plug him into Canberra's backline before Savelio Tamale's injury. Stuart Jnr. responded by taking a bomb on attack with his first play, saving a 40-20 with a bat back and then scoring when Seb Kris sent him over in the corner. "This week has been the hardest moment I've had as a coach," Ricky Stuart said. "Because from a father's point of view, I don't want him to come out and be man of the match, I just want him to hold his own. And he did that. "The amount of times I've been waking up at 3am with real bad thoughts ... He didn't have any of those tonight, which was good." While Jed Stuart provided the headline moment, it was Joe Tapine and Canberra's goal-line defenders who proved the heroes. The Tigers spent large parts of the match camped on the Raiders' line, but were only able to break through twice in a five-minute period in the second half. Tapine was crucial. He somehow held up Jarome Luai as the Tigers five-eighth looked certain to get the ball down in the first half, pulling the No.6's arm back up as it went towards the turf. Then moments later it was Tapine who gave the Raiders their first try, running on to a Josh Papalii try and through a gaping hole to score. The Raiders prop had another crucial moment in the second half, pulling off a one-on-one strip to end another Tigers attacking raid in the final 10 minutes. "That's why I've been saying for the past two years I think he is the best front-rower in the game," Stuart said. "There is a lot of athleticism in those efforts." As resolute as the Raiders were, the Tigers were at times their own worst enemies. A Tom Starling try came after Kris brushed through a poor Heath Mason miss, before Jeral Skelton and Jahreem Bula fumbled a grubber and Starling dived on the ball. The Tigers were better in the second half, with Luai coming to life after being well contained before the break. Backing up just two days after Origin II and following cross-country travel, he sparked the Tigers to life when he grubbered for a chasing Alex Seyfarth to score. Luai had it at 16-12 moments later when he first put Adam Doueihi into space, before backing up on the next play and combining with Latu Fainu to send Starford To'a. But a denied try from a forward pass, Tapine's strip and another overturned late penalty for a Skelton hair-pull meant the Tigers were consigned to a fifth straight loss. "Looking at our last two games, the four-time premiers (Penrith), taking them to the wire and almost winning. And the team that is second on the table, giving ourselves a shot today," Tigers coach Benji Marshall said. "I know the results have gone the other way, but it's not proud off where we've got to be." Ricky Stuart's weeks of sleepless nights are over after his son Jed scored on debut and Canberra held on to beat the Raiders 16-12 at Campbelltown. Following a fortnight of build up to one of the Raiders' most famous debuts in years, Stuart played a key role in Canberra's ninth win in 10 matches on Friday night. His try came as Canberra led 16-0 at halftime, before being forced to defend through a nervy final 25 minutes with the margin just four. The win ensures Canberra will finish the round in second spot, with five straight victories and nine from their past 10 games. Stuart was the story of the night with a try on debut, the four-pointer coming as his proud father Ricky stood on the sideline. The Raiders coach had long known of the 23-year-old's ability, but was hesitant to plug him into Canberra's backline before Savelio Tamale's injury. Stuart Jnr. responded by taking a bomb on attack with his first play, saving a 40-20 with a bat back and then scoring when Seb Kris sent him over in the corner. "This week has been the hardest moment I've had as a coach," Ricky Stuart said. "Because from a father's point of view, I don't want him to come out and be man of the match, I just want him to hold his own. And he did that. "The amount of times I've been waking up at 3am with real bad thoughts ... He didn't have any of those tonight, which was good." While Jed Stuart provided the headline moment, it was Joe Tapine and Canberra's goal-line defenders who proved the heroes. The Tigers spent large parts of the match camped on the Raiders' line, but were only able to break through twice in a five-minute period in the second half. Tapine was crucial. He somehow held up Jarome Luai as the Tigers five-eighth looked certain to get the ball down in the first half, pulling the No.6's arm back up as it went towards the turf. Then moments later it was Tapine who gave the Raiders their first try, running on to a Josh Papalii try and through a gaping hole to score. The Raiders prop had another crucial moment in the second half, pulling off a one-on-one strip to end another Tigers attacking raid in the final 10 minutes. "That's why I've been saying for the past two years I think he is the best front-rower in the game," Stuart said. "There is a lot of athleticism in those efforts." As resolute as the Raiders were, the Tigers were at times their own worst enemies. A Tom Starling try came after Kris brushed through a poor Heath Mason miss, before Jeral Skelton and Jahreem Bula fumbled a grubber and Starling dived on the ball. The Tigers were better in the second half, with Luai coming to life after being well contained before the break. Backing up just two days after Origin II and following cross-country travel, he sparked the Tigers to life when he grubbered for a chasing Alex Seyfarth to score. Luai had it at 16-12 moments later when he first put Adam Doueihi into space, before backing up on the next play and combining with Latu Fainu to send Starford To'a. But a denied try from a forward pass, Tapine's strip and another overturned late penalty for a Skelton hair-pull meant the Tigers were consigned to a fifth straight loss. "Looking at our last two games, the four-time premiers (Penrith), taking them to the wire and almost winning. And the team that is second on the table, giving ourselves a shot today," Tigers coach Benji Marshall said. "I know the results have gone the other way, but it's not proud off where we've got to be."
The Advertiser
15 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Young Stuart scores as Raiders defence beats Tigers
Jed Stuart has provided one of the fairytale moments of Canberra's high-flying NRL season, before the Raiders held on to beat Wests Tigers 16-12 at Campbelltown. After they led 16-0 at halftime and looked in complete control, the Raiders were forced to sweat through a nervy final 25 minutes on Friday night. But with the Tigers back within four points and with all the good ball in the second half, the Raiders were able to repel set after set to claim victory. The win ensures Canberra will finish the round in second spot, with five straight victories and nine from their past 10 games. Stuart was the story of the night with a try on debut, the four-pointer coming as his proud father Ricky stood on the sideline looking as stoic as ever. After a week of build-up around the 23-year-old's debut, he finished the Raiders' second try when Seb Kris put him over in the left corner. But while Stuart provided the headline moment, it was Joe Tapine and Canberra's goal-line defence that were the real heroes. The Tigers spent large parts of the match camped on the Raiders' line, but were only able to break through twice in a five-minute period in the second half. Tapine was crucial in much of that. He somehow held up Jarome Luai as the Tigers five-eighth looked certain to get the ball down in the first half, pulling his arm back up as it went towards the turf. Then moments later it was Tapine who gave the Raiders their first try, running on to a Josh Papalii try and through a gaping hole to score. The Raiders' front-rower had another crucial moment in the second half, pulling off a one-on-one strip to end another Tigers attacking raid in the final 10 minutes. As resolute as the Raiders were, the Tigers were at times their own worst enemies. A Tom Starling try came after Kris brushed through a poor Heath Mason miss, before Jeral Skelton and Jahreem Bula fumbled a grubber and Starling dived on the ball. The Tigers were better in the second half, with Luai coming to life after being well contained before the break. Backing up just two days after Origin II and following cross-country travel, he sparked the Tigers to life when he grubbered for a chasing Alex Seyfarth to score. Luai had it at 16-12 moments later when he first put Adam Doueihi into space, before backing up on the next play and combining with Latu Fainu to send Starford To'a. The Tigers had a chance to go ahead when Samuela Fainu crossed with 13 minutes to play, only for a Terrell May pass to be called forward. But Tapine's strip and another overturned late penalty for a Skelton hair-pull meant the joint-venture were consigned to their fifth straight loss. Jed Stuart has provided one of the fairytale moments of Canberra's high-flying NRL season, before the Raiders held on to beat Wests Tigers 16-12 at Campbelltown. After they led 16-0 at halftime and looked in complete control, the Raiders were forced to sweat through a nervy final 25 minutes on Friday night. But with the Tigers back within four points and with all the good ball in the second half, the Raiders were able to repel set after set to claim victory. The win ensures Canberra will finish the round in second spot, with five straight victories and nine from their past 10 games. Stuart was the story of the night with a try on debut, the four-pointer coming as his proud father Ricky stood on the sideline looking as stoic as ever. After a week of build-up around the 23-year-old's debut, he finished the Raiders' second try when Seb Kris put him over in the left corner. But while Stuart provided the headline moment, it was Joe Tapine and Canberra's goal-line defence that were the real heroes. The Tigers spent large parts of the match camped on the Raiders' line, but were only able to break through twice in a five-minute period in the second half. Tapine was crucial in much of that. He somehow held up Jarome Luai as the Tigers five-eighth looked certain to get the ball down in the first half, pulling his arm back up as it went towards the turf. Then moments later it was Tapine who gave the Raiders their first try, running on to a Josh Papalii try and through a gaping hole to score. The Raiders' front-rower had another crucial moment in the second half, pulling off a one-on-one strip to end another Tigers attacking raid in the final 10 minutes. As resolute as the Raiders were, the Tigers were at times their own worst enemies. A Tom Starling try came after Kris brushed through a poor Heath Mason miss, before Jeral Skelton and Jahreem Bula fumbled a grubber and Starling dived on the ball. The Tigers were better in the second half, with Luai coming to life after being well contained before the break. Backing up just two days after Origin II and following cross-country travel, he sparked the Tigers to life when he grubbered for a chasing Alex Seyfarth to score. Luai had it at 16-12 moments later when he first put Adam Doueihi into space, before backing up on the next play and combining with Latu Fainu to send Starford To'a. The Tigers had a chance to go ahead when Samuela Fainu crossed with 13 minutes to play, only for a Terrell May pass to be called forward. But Tapine's strip and another overturned late penalty for a Skelton hair-pull meant the joint-venture were consigned to their fifth straight loss. Jed Stuart has provided one of the fairytale moments of Canberra's high-flying NRL season, before the Raiders held on to beat Wests Tigers 16-12 at Campbelltown. After they led 16-0 at halftime and looked in complete control, the Raiders were forced to sweat through a nervy final 25 minutes on Friday night. But with the Tigers back within four points and with all the good ball in the second half, the Raiders were able to repel set after set to claim victory. The win ensures Canberra will finish the round in second spot, with five straight victories and nine from their past 10 games. Stuart was the story of the night with a try on debut, the four-pointer coming as his proud father Ricky stood on the sideline looking as stoic as ever. After a week of build-up around the 23-year-old's debut, he finished the Raiders' second try when Seb Kris put him over in the left corner. But while Stuart provided the headline moment, it was Joe Tapine and Canberra's goal-line defence that were the real heroes. The Tigers spent large parts of the match camped on the Raiders' line, but were only able to break through twice in a five-minute period in the second half. Tapine was crucial in much of that. He somehow held up Jarome Luai as the Tigers five-eighth looked certain to get the ball down in the first half, pulling his arm back up as it went towards the turf. Then moments later it was Tapine who gave the Raiders their first try, running on to a Josh Papalii try and through a gaping hole to score. The Raiders' front-rower had another crucial moment in the second half, pulling off a one-on-one strip to end another Tigers attacking raid in the final 10 minutes. As resolute as the Raiders were, the Tigers were at times their own worst enemies. A Tom Starling try came after Kris brushed through a poor Heath Mason miss, before Jeral Skelton and Jahreem Bula fumbled a grubber and Starling dived on the ball. The Tigers were better in the second half, with Luai coming to life after being well contained before the break. Backing up just two days after Origin II and following cross-country travel, he sparked the Tigers to life when he grubbered for a chasing Alex Seyfarth to score. Luai had it at 16-12 moments later when he first put Adam Doueihi into space, before backing up on the next play and combining with Latu Fainu to send Starford To'a. The Tigers had a chance to go ahead when Samuela Fainu crossed with 13 minutes to play, only for a Terrell May pass to be called forward. But Tapine's strip and another overturned late penalty for a Skelton hair-pull meant the joint-venture were consigned to their fifth straight loss.
