Bulldogs Skipper Stephen Crichton Defends Lachie Galvin Amid Criticism
Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton has come to the defense of young star Lachie Galvin following criticism from league legend Andrew Johns, who questioned whether Galvin is a suitable halfback. The discussion around Galvin’s role has intensified after the Bulldogs suffered their second consecutive loss in Round 8, this time against the depleted Broncos. This followed an unexpected defeat to the underperforming Parramatta side the previous week.
Galvin and five-eighth Matt Burton managed to score their only tries in the 32-12 loss, but the Bulldogs had to wait until the second half when Brisbane were down to 12 men to get on the scoreboard. The playmakers once again struggled to ignite the attack, with the Bulldogs ranking last in the NRL for the fewest points scored this season.
Andrew Johns criticized coach Cameron Ciraldo’s decision to keep Galvin and Burton in the halves, suggesting that they are too similar as running halves and that it’s time to bring in a more traditional No.7 to control games. “I think Matt Burton is an out-and-out five-eighth. He’s a running five-eighth. If you’re going to have a big running five-eighth, you need an on-ball halfback who does everything,” Johns said on Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show. “We know Lachie Galvin is there, he’s building his game. I see him more as a long-term five-eighth. He wants the ball, but he’s still gotta understand his game.”
Johns pointed out Canterbury’s lack of creativity in attacking areas and suggested emerging young halfback Mitch Woods as a potential solution at No.7. “There’s no run straight out of dummy-half. They had Jake Turpin… but he’s a distributor. Bailey Hayward’s as tough as they come, but he’s a distributor, so there’s no run threat,” Johns added. “And Galvin, I don’t think he’s a halfback, so the question is Mitch Woods, where he comes into it.”
Crichton Supports Galvin After Strong Performance
Despite the criticism, Crichton has defended Galvin, pointing to the Bulldogs’ impressive upset victory over Penrith in Round 6 as evidence that Galvin has what it takes to be a top halfback. “The way he played against the Panthers, everyone was on his side, saying he was the best halfback that week,” Crichton said. “Now, two weeks later, he probably hasn’t performed the way he would’ve wanted to and that’s a reflection of the boys around him not helping him do his job. We definitely know that he is our halfback, and the way he played against the Panthers is the way a halfback should be playing.”
The Bulldogs have made efforts to shield Galvin from much of the criticism surrounding his role, which Crichton has described as “pretty harsh.” He added: “I feel for Lachie. He has been getting criticised a lot lately for the way that our team has been performing and ever since he’s come to the club… He’ll be learning from this. He’s learning these lessons as a young 20-year-old, and he’s going to become a player – like one of the greats – sooner or later. I feel like all the lessons that he’s taking right now are pretty harsh, but it’s going to build him up to be the player that he wants to be.”
