The Bulldogs are struggling to score points in 2026 — and it’s “deja vu” according to The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie, who believed a consistent issue has again been highlighted.
Under Cameron Ciraldo this season, Canterbury have scored only 45 points in three games with young gun Lachlan Galvin and Matt Burton partnering in the halves.
Galvin’s position in the Dogs’ No.7 jersey has come under immense scrutiny since he took over from Toby Sexton midway through the 2025 season.
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“Again we come up short with Lachlan Galvin, I don’t want to lay the boot in… but averaging 15-a-game, it’s one of the worst in the competition,” Ritchie said on NRL360 on Monday night.
“Cleary Ciraldo was irritated or disappointed on the weekend because he made that change halfway through the game, so clearly something was eating away at Ciraldo.”
The change he referenced was a spine shift made by Ciraldo during their loss to the Knights, with Stephen Crichton joining the halves and Matt Burton moving out to the centres.
It proved fruitful, with Burton scoring a double while bench playmaker Sean O’Sullivan also joined the action in the middle of the park.
Interestingly, The Australian’s Brent Read highlighted the fact that Galvin was not shuffled out of his position when Ciraldo decided changes were needed to spark his side.
“But Galvin didn’t get changed, Galvin is not the problem with this football team,” Read said.
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“Clearly the coach doesn’t think Galvin is either, because Galvin stayed at halfback… the coach wasn’t happy, he didn’t move Galvin. He moved Burton and Crichton.
But both NRL360 host Braith Anasta and league legend Gorden Tallis weren’t buying it.
For Anasta, the Bulldogs’ halves combination is missing an organiser, a player who can steer the side around the park instead of looking disjointed an disorganed.
“It’s the whole spine, their strong point is their running game… the problem is, there’s a lack of creativing and organisation from a seven,” Anasta said.
“They are both sixes, so when one of them runs and they get a quick play-the-ball… you don’t have Galvin demanding the ball off the back of a big carry or vice versa.
“You don’t see them swinging down short sides, or kicking for a winger… that’s what halves do and when you watch their game, they both ran great.
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“Galvin was effective, but when it comes to the finesse and the organisation, it’s not there and you can see a lack of communication.
“Going into this year, we are thinking ‘oh this is going to be good this year, they’ve had a whole pre-season to work with each other and they are going to come out the blocks’.
“But if they don’t? We are going to revisit this and here we are. Galvin is the fittest guy, and he is energetic and he is popping up everywhere, but how effective is he?”
And revisit we have, with Tallis echoing his fellow panellists opinion.
“Lachie Galvin got shoved down our throat and I am not picking on the kid here. I don’t think he’s the problem, but he’s certainly not the solution,” Tallis said.
“Last year, they were scoring more points… tell the Dogs fans that this is a better side than what was ticking last year.
“They were averaging 27 points last year… can you imagine the Broncos back in the day moving Steve Renouf to five-eighth? So whose fault would that be.
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“If they have to move a centre into the six? It’s the six and sevens fault.”
With Sexton departing at the end of the 2025 season, the Bulldogs recruited O’Sullivan as a back-up halfback while Mitchell Woods remains sidelined.
Anasta believes Galvin is a pure five-eighth, and that to find success, Canterbury “need a seven” — sparking a fiery argument.
“Galvin is a work in progress as a seven, we know that. He has traditionally been a six and he is 20-year-old,” Read argued.
“I don’t think he has been that bad this year, you blokes seem to think he has been shocking?”
To which Anasta fired back, explaining that Read had completely missed the mark.
“No, you’ve missed the whole point. No one has said he has been shocking, you’ve put that into our mouths,” Anasta said.
“That is so false… that’s bulls***.”
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