The Bulldogs King’s Birthday clash with the Eels doesn’t need anymore spice, but Lachlan Galvin’s arrival has provided plenty more fuel for the fire in latest chapter of a storeyed rivalry.
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As far as arch rivals in rugby league go, you don’t get much more heated than the historical battle between the two neighbours in gold and blue.
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Not only have they clashed in Grand Finals and won titles against each other in the 80s, but they have also struggled together in the last couple of decades.
The Bulldogs have not tasted premiership glory since 2004, while the Eels have the longest premiership drought in the NRL stretching back to 1986.
Canterbury-Bankstown haven’t lifted the trophy in over two decades, while Parramatta are now approaching their fourth decade without a Grand Final triumph.
Throw in two of the most passionate fanbases in the game, a $10 ticket promotion that has the NRL regular season attendance record under threat and you get a powder keg of emotion and fire and brimstone, ahead of their long-weekend date with destiny.
But the arrival of Galvin at Belmore just a week before the game after reportedly backflipping on a deal to join the Eels, has turned an already mouth-watering clash into an even more salivating blockbuster, which is live and exclusive on Kayo.
Foxsports.com.au sat down with Bulldogs legend and premiership winner Braith Anasta to discuss in depth the ramifications of the Galvin decision for both the Bulldogs and the Eels and what it means for the two proud clubs ahead of Monday’s clash and moving forward for the rest of the 2025 season and beyond.
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Anasta played the first six years of his career for the Bulldogs, scoring 50 tries in 110 games for the Belmore club, including the drought-breaking 2004 title, the club’s first in nearly a decade.
The premiership winning five-eighth played in his fair share of clashes between the two proud clubs and knows what the players are in for at Accor Stadium on Monday afternoon.
“It’s always a beauty,” Anasta told foxsports.com.au.
“When you get to these clubs like the Bulldogs and Parramatta, you learn a lot about the history of the joint.
“It goes back a long, long time before us because they are close in proximity and the fans are the most passionate or close to it in the competition.
“When you look at the fan bases of both the Eels and the Bulldogs because there is that rivalry and a bit of hatred there, it just sets up to be an absolute blockbuster.
“As a player, they are the games you want to be involved in, it’s a stand-alone game on a Monday live and exclusive on Kayo, the Galvin situation.
“There are so many different storylines surrounding this game and it just makes this even bigger and better.”
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HOW DOES GALVIN FIT INTO THE BULLDOGS TEAM?
It is the question on everyone’s lips, how does Lachlan Galvin fit into a team that is two points clear on top of the table and has only lost two games all year?
The 19-year-old has played the majority of his 31-game NRL career at five-eighth, but the Bulldogs have Matt Burton in that role.
Galvin could play halfback, but that would mean dropping Toby Sexton, who has been impressive albeit in a simple role in Ciraldo’s Bulldogs machine.
He could also be a long-term prospect at lock or second row and given his size and skill, Galvin could also play in the centres at a pinch.
Anasta believes where Galvin plays for the rest of the 2025 season may not be where he ends up at the Bulldogs, but it may depend on how other players fare in their positions.
“It’s an intriguing one and I think there’s probably different plans for the short term and long term with the Bulldogs,” Anasta said.
“I think short term it’ll be just where he fits for this year and whatever gives them the best opportunity to win a comp in the interim really.
“He could play anywhere from No.14 to No.7. I think they’ve bought him as No.7 and they will be monitoring Sexton.
“Sexton’s got a lot of pressure on him now to deliver or else they’ll make that switch. But if Sexton plays really well and continues to lead this team in the right direction, Galvin could find himself anywhere.
“He could go in the back row, he could go on at No.13, they could move Burton to fullback or Crichton to fullback and get him into the No.6 role with Sexton.
“There’s a number of options they’ve got and they’re all good ones. I think it’s going to be so interesting and intriguing and such an eye-opener to see what they do with him. It’s fascinating, it really is.”
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Long-term the Bulldogs have put a lot of faith in developing Mitchell Woods into a No.7 after not re-signing Sexton beyond 2026, while Matt Burton could switch to the centres to allow Galvin to play in his preferred No.6 role.
“In terms of long term, they’ve bought him as a five-eighth or they’ve bought him as a half, but they could either play him at No.6 or No.7 depending on how he goes,” Anasta said.
“If he gets a shot at No.7 and if it’s best for the team or they could put him in at No.6 and move Burton around or they’ve got young Mitch Woods coming through as well.
“In the next couple of years it could be Woods and Galvin in two or three years’ time, who knows.
“There’s a number of options and I don’t think they’re too worried about it to be fair. I think they just think he’s a great talent, which he is and it’s a great opportunity and they took it.”
DOES GALVIN MAKE THE BULLDOGS BETTER IN THEIR TITLE BID?
The Bulldogs are the most consistent team this season, so there is an argument they were already on their way to winning the premiership without Galvin.
But clearly the brains trust at the Bulldogs led by supremo Phil Gould and coach Ciraldo, felt they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sign someone of Galvin’s calibre and given his age, more importantly his ceiling.
Anasta believes Galvin has a mountain of untapped potential, but does see his best position as five-eighth.
“I do see him as a No.6,” Anasta said.
“I don’t see him as anything else. That’s not to say he couldn’t take any other jersey or fill any other role and do it at a high level and make it his own.
“But to me he is an out and out six. He’s a big body, which is good for a No.6. He’s got good footwork, he’s a runner. He’s got a nice short kicking game. But he can probably bring a bit more control to his game.
“The implications of that are what is interesting because will Burton eventually get moved? Does Mitch Woods comes in? What happens to Sexton?
“There’s a lot of possibilities and there’s a lot of implications. That’s what’s kind of watch his space, isn’t it really? But I see him as an out and out No.6.”
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Regardless of the circus that has surrounded the Galvin acquisition, Anasta believes history will prove he was a masterstroke signing by the club.
But he waned Galvin is still a risky signing for the rest of this season, given the potential his arrival has to throw a well-oiled machine off its course, while there are teething issues as he assimilates himself into the team.
“I think it’s a really good signing,” Anasta said.
“I know it’s been a bit of a circus the process, but I think all in all he’s a high quality player. He’s still got to prove himself, but I think it’s a great signing.
“I don’t have an issue with it at all. I think he’s going to be great for the club and it’s also an opportunity for both him and the Bulldogs.
“Whether it’s a good signing for this year, time will tell us. We’re all guessing because we don’t know where they’re going to play him. We don’t know how it’s going to impact the team, whether it’s going to be positive or not so much.
“That’s why the next few weeks and this game on Monday (live and exclusive on Kayo) is so big if he does play, but also the next month or two of footy.
“Does it improve them? Does it take them to another level? Does it get them to a position of power to win a premiership or does it in fact hurt the team? That’s really going to be what we’re all keeping an eye on really.”
CAN GALVIN’S ARRIVAL DESTABILISE THE TEAM?
While no one disputes the fact Galvin makes the Bulldogs a better squad and team in the future, his arrival has thrown their 2025 title aspirations up in the air because the fact is, they may not have needed him to win the premiership this season.
The Storm might be favourites given they made last year’s decider and have Craig Bellamy and a red hot roster, but they haven’t played like the best team all year.
Galvin’s arrival has the potential to upset players whose position he may take at the Bulldogs, but Anasta believes the players are professional enough to know the best man gets the jersey and Galvin can only improve the club’s chances of success long-term.
“The players are professional enough to welcome him with open arms,” Anasta said.
“He’s just another player in the top 30 now. To be honest with you, he’s still got to prove himself. He’s still got to fit into their system.
“They’re very systematic Canterbury. He’s got to fit into their patterns in defence and attack.
“The big thing for me is that Cameron Ciraldo said, that he’d spoken to senior players there and they were happy with it and they welcomed it.
“And they’ve got such a great culture there and they’ve got a brotherhood there, that I don’t think it’s a concern. I really don’t.
“I think it’s going to be a success, but at the same time, it does have the capability of disrupting the year. You’d be lying if you said it didn’t.
“It’s such a big move for a prominent player, who’s in key position, so as much as I think it’s a great buy and I think it’ll be successful, there is an element of risk there.”
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WERE THE EELS EVER REALLY IN THE HUNT?
You don’t have to be an NRL conspiracy theorist to know the Bulldogs were likely more interested in signing Galvin than they were willing to let on publicly.
The Eels were reportedly in the box seat to sign Galvin given his links to Mitchell Moses, who is managed by the same manager as the former Tigers five-eighth.
But the rhetoric coming out of the Galvin camp was always around being coached by a coach who can help develop him to the best possible player he can be.
And while Jason Ryles has shown he has the potential to be a great coach, Cameron Ciraldo is already there, making a choice between the two on those grounds, fairly simple.
Anasta believes the Eels were in with a shot of landing Galvin, but he thinks how close they came to getting a deal done was overblown.
“That’s such a tough one to know, but I think when you read between the lines, the Dogs were always in the box seat,” Anasta said.
“Gus is a huge fan of Lachlan’s. Lachlan was looking for development. He was looking to go to a strong team where he was going to learn more.
“I tend to think the Dogs were the frontrunners the whole time, but I do also believe that the Paramatta were in the hunt and were a chance.
“I don’t think you can dismiss that because everything I heard coming out of Paramatta was that they were interested in him.
“But I think it was overplayed how interested they were and how close he was to signing with Paramatta. I think that was overplayed and that was a bit misleading.
“I think if you peel it all back, the Dogs were always in the box seat.”
WHO SHOULD THE EELS TARGET TO REPLACE DYLAN BROWN?
The Eels have now lost two of the best young five-eighths in the game in Dylan Brown to the Knights and Lachlan Galvin to the Bulldogs, so it begs the question, where to next?
Parramatta have one of the elite halfbacks in the NRL in Mitchell Moses, but they need to prove to their captain they are all about winning a title or he could agitate for a release in the future.
Moses is the incumbent Kangaroos halfback and current Blues five-eighth, but he hasn’t tasted premiership glory, despite going close by making the 2022 decider.
Anasta believes the Eels won’t have far to look to settle on a suitable five-eighth, if they can move fast and lock up a Roosters star.
“I think Sandon Smith is a no-brainer,” Anasta said.
“I hear he’s going to be told that he can negotiate with other clubs with the possibility of DCE going there.
“He’s probably played some of his best footy the last couple of months at the Roosters.
“He’s only young. I think him and Mitch Moses would combine quite well there at Paramatta. “I have heard that Paramatta are interested in him. I know that the Roosters most likely wouldn’t get in the way of that happening.”
The Cowboys have also shown interest in Smith, but a move from the Roosters to another Sydney based team would make sense and the chance to play alongside Moses could be too hard to pass up.
CAN THE EELS MAKE THE FINALS OR ARE THEY IN A REBUILD?
The Eels are clearly in a rebuild of sorts under new coach Jason Ryles, but they have shown vast improvements in recent weeks, particularly since Mitchell Moses’ return from injury.
They may sit second last with just four wins this season, but the Eels are still only two wins outside the top eight.
The closeness of the competition means Anasta wouldn’t rule out a late charge to the finals in the back half of the year for the blue and gold.
“I wouldn’t write the Eels off at all,” Anasta said.
“I love what I see. I love the expansive style of footy that Ryles has got them playing. I love how they move the ball in transition and they test the opposition all the time.
“They’ve really evolved both in defence and their attack has come a long way.
“What has contributed to that is Mitch Moses going back into the team, but they’ve looked a different team the last month.
“They were unlucky last week against Penrith, who played their best game in a very long time and we all know how good they can be on their day.
“I’m loving what I’m seeing out of Parramatta. I think they can make the eight. It’s obviously an uphill battle, but I wouldn’t be writing them off.
“What I’ve seen the past month, I really liked. I dare say they would be a chance on Monday as well.”
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CAN THE BULLDOGS WIN THE TITLE?
Long-suffering Bulldogs fans might be content to just halve a team they can be proud of again each week, but with every mounting victory, they are daring to dream of breaking their premiership drought.
The Bulldogs broke an eight-year finals drought last season and likely only need a handful of more wins to make the finals again this year.
But after leading the competition at the halfway point of the season, the Bulldogs faithful are hoping to party like its 2004 and Anasta believes the closeness of the competition means they are as good a chance as any team of lifting the trophy in 2025.
“It’s a very open competition, I think right now there’s the Storm as favourites but they’re not setting the world on fire,” Anasta said.
“There’s a number of teams that can win it and Canterbury are definitely one of them.
“Canterbury’s defence speaks for itself. Their attack has evolved as the season has gone on and they’ve got better in that as well, so there’s no reason why the Bulldogs can’t win the competition.
“I had my doubts earlier on in the year, but I think a combination of them improving a lot as the year has gone on, but also the competition being so open and there is an opportunity for a lot of teams here to win a competition because it’s so open, so the Bulldogs can win for sure.”
