It would appear from the outside that the challenge Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo is facing with Lachlan Galvin is one every club would like to have: fitting a highly talented young player into your team.
But the Bulldogs know the club’s enemies – and those with a target on the back of general manager Phil Gould – are trying their best to divide and conquer.
It’s why Gould was happy to address the playing group – Galvin included – at Ciraldo’s request last week. It’s something he has asked not to be written about.
There has been plenty of media chatter concerning the impact Galvin’s arrival would have on the other playmakers at the Bulldogs, with some said to be disgruntled at having to make way for the 19-year-old.
Gould is celebrating his 50th year in league, and has seen this movie before. The one where his enemies try and divide his club. None of the players he addressed in the Bulldogs’ team theatre on Wednesday were born when Gould was doing his stuff as a club coach. He shared his experiences.
The exact wording of speech hasn’t been divulged to this column, but the gist of it has. Gus explained to the players that media reports of disunity in the playing group were predictable and due to the Bulldogs being a club on the rise.
Lachlan Galvin scores on debut for Canterbury.Credit: Getty Images
He talked about the childish attempts to pit players against each other through the media, and highlighted the various agendas at play. He listed the players who have left the club and explained that the Bulldogs were seeking to become a better team by recruiting new players – Galvin among them.
He also said the ladder-leading Bulldogs were now a target – and that if you can make it at Canterbury, you can make it anywhere. Belmore has becomes rugby league’s New York.
The underlying message, though, was that if any player had an issue, they know who to come and see. The players were asked if they knew that and who they should reach out to, and they all said they felt comfortable approaching Gould.
He hasn’t got an office inside Canterbury headquarters, but he is among the players and staff most of the time and makes it known that he is available to talk if needed.
It’s significant that Gould’s address to the team came soon after he spoke personally to Reed Mahoney. Ciraldo also spoke to his No.9 after he was replaced midway through the second half in the Bulldogs’ win over Parramatta on Monday.
Vision of Mahoney venting his frustration in the dressing sheds afterwards gave ammo to those pushing the narrative that Galvin’s arrival has disrupted the harmony of the playing group.
Mahoney, the one-time Bulldogs skipper, is understood to have left the meeting with a clear head and a good outlook. The club acknowledged he was disappointed to have been taken from the field, and that the footage didn’t help.
That vision is not the main issue. But it is clear Mahoney knows where he stands and is comfortable at the club. Toby Sexton, too, has also been kept informed of the club’s position all the way.
None of this will stop the media attacks, but the players know where they stand.
Mortimer appearance delights Blues
The Blues honoured inspirational former captain Steve Mortimer at a team dinner at Homebush on Friday night – with the great halfback in attendance.
On Wednesday, it was 40 years ago to the day since Turvey led NSW to their first Origin series win, and the Blues wanted to mark the moment. Mortimer is already a big part of their preparation as the team carry the Mortimer trophy into camp and to games.
Origin hero Steve Mortimer was involved in NSW camp last year under Michael Maguire.Credit: Grant Trouville
Mortimer is battling dementia and to have him and the Mortimer family in attendance was special for the players and their families. It gave them an opportunity to understand what the Blues jumper means to so many.
Mortimer’s wife Karen was in attendance and gave a great speech – as did Laurie Daley. Putting the emphasis on Mortimer and what he did for the state was Michael Maguire’s idea last year, and it has given the Blues team a genuine soul.
The playing group was moved to have Steve in their company and it inspired them to play to their ability on Wednesday night.
Luai’s Tigers deal back in the spotlight
On the eve of Jarome Luai’s biggest game of the year, a fresh squabble has broken out behind the scenes about the nature of his five-year contract with the Wests Tigers.
Luai’s deal has been in the news throughout the Galvin saga because it contains exit clauses that allow him to leave the club at the end of next season. The origin of those clauses has been raised in recent days in the News Corp press.
It has been suggested that during early negotiations with Luai, the previous Tigers management was open to his contract containing clauses that would allow him to leave after every year of the deal.
Tigers playmaker Jarome Luai on the attack against Penrith.Credit: Getty Images
Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson inferred that he had managed to get the Luai deal over the line in the face of poor negotiations led by former CEO Justin Pascoe. However, some digging reveals Pascoe actually refused to consider any clauses in the Luai deal when he was negotiating it.
There was a request for clauses at a meeting between Pascoe, Luai, his management and Benji Marshall at the coach’s home. But it was never an option Pascoe was willing to entertain.
Pascoe was eventually removed from his Tigers position and Richardson got past the Bulldogs to secure Luai for an amount significantly higher than the one the old administration had been prepared to offer.
Luai, who only arrived at Concord at the end of last year, has not indicated any desire to exit his contract early, but he has the option.
What is curious is the club’s interest in veteran Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds, which we first revealed some weeks ago. Part of the appeal in joining the Tigers for Luai was the opportunity to play No.7 and be the main man. It’s something he’s more than capable of doing.
It’s all a long way from Marshall’s initial plans for the Tigers playmakers, which revolved around a halves combination of Galvin and Bud Sullivan, with Latu Fainu the wildcard.
A lot has happened since then, obviously. Not least the latest manoeuvring to present a favourable version of events to the public.
Roosters’ Canberra raid
The rise of the Raiders is one of the great stories of 2025. They’ve done it through Ricky Stuart’s coaching and sharp development and recruitment.
But it looks like one of the key figures in their rebuild has been poached. The Roosters have signed their recruitment man Joel Carbone, and the Raiders are fuming. It’s well known there is already tension between the clubs at coaching level, and now it’s all set to spill over.
NSW getting in tune
It may have been the omen that foretold Luai’s return to the NSW fold.
The day before Mitch Moses injured his calf and was ruled out of Origin, the Blues officials went out and purchased a portable stereo to provide tunes to celebrate Hudson Young’s birthday.
Birthday boy: Hudson Young.Credit: NRL Photos
It wasn’t quite a Luai-style boombox, but you get the drift. As for Young’s birthday cake, officials opted for a Freddo frog ice cream cake – the same as the one assistant coach Boyd Cordner had to celebrate his birthday in camp.
While on Moses, the word is that his calf injury will keep him out for four to six weeks, meaning he won’t play in Origin III, either.
Blues and greens
Matt Burton is not only the biggest kicker in the game, he may also be the biggest hitter of a golf ball. Playing in a group of Blues, he drove the green on the uphill 273-metre par 4 first hole at Leura. It’s a tough driving hole with out-of-bounds on the left.
Latrell Mitchell wasn’t playing on that occasion, but he can get close to Burton. Mitchell drove himself to Leura on Monday before the rest of the team to get some golf in, but the weather was too cold for a hit.
The keenest golfers among the Blues were Haumole Olakau’atu and Kotoni Staggs, who played 27 holes one afternoon.
May: ‘I will be judged on my actions’
Two hours with Taylan May are not enough to provide an accurate account of his hopes of making it back to the big time.
I can only judge the former Panther on his actions. Five weeks in rehab is no walk in the park. Two weeks in a psych ward, where he mixed with people who tried to take their own lives in front of him, is heavy-duty.
Wests Tigers have given Taylan May a chance to return to football.Credit: Getty Images
It’s the kind of stuff you only do if you know you need help and are willing to take steps towards becoming a better person.
“I know it’s not a cure and I know I will be judged on my actions,” he said.
Clearly, the Wests Tigers know there is more to May than just a talented footballer. Before his stint in hospital, he had a meeting with the Tigers – and it went badly. May told me about it, and it may just have been the catalyst for his decision to get help.
He was suicidal. He didn’t like the person he was. He knew he needed to change for himself, his wife and his kids. He wants to set them up and he wants to be present. He wants to be a decent husband. He knows what people say and he knows some will never change what they think of him. He doesn’t expect one drop of sympathy.
But he must have done something to change the Tigers’ minds. They were not going to sign him with Issac Moses’s money, but a few weeks later – and after some serious interest from Wayne Bennett at the Rabbitohs – they have jumped on board, signing him on a train-and-trial deal.
He is sure to need ongoing work and treatment and will need to earn the club’s trust off the field more than on it.
The key is the name tattooed on his neck. It’s both his burden and his pride. He has been given a dream opportunity to play alongside his brother, Terrell May. It’s his chance to achieve his goal of being the best in his position in the game. The ability is there – now it’s time to see if his application and attitude can match his gifts.
Not the right Mam for the job
It’s easy to blame Billy Slater and Ben Ikin for the inclusion of Ezra Mam in the Queensland squad. Slater is Maroons coach and Ikin is CEO of the QRL, and both could’ve opted against Mam. But they didn’t, so let’s hold them accountable to some degree.
Both are good family men and you wonder how they could include in their team a man who injured a four-year-old girl in a crash while driving under the influence of drink and drugs.
That’s for them to live with. But the real culprit here are the game’s bosses who allowed Mam back into the game so swiftly after the damage he caused to people’s lives and property.
Again, Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo are decent men, but they have stuffed this up deluxe. Mam should have had at least 12 months out of the game rather than eight weeks to get a perspective on what his behaviour means to a sport that is usually ultra-conservative.
It’s hard to understand how Mam being allowed to play football at the highest level this year benefits anyone other than Mam. For Queensland to thrust him into an Origin squad underlines just how light his punishment was.
The lack of scrutiny on Mam from the NRL beggars belief. For a code that gets it mostly right, this was a major error – something almost universally agreed upon except in the echo chamber of NRL head office.
It’s hard to know who advised V’landys and Abdo on the Mam reinclusion, but they too should be held accountable.
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