Lachlan Galvin has no doubt had ‘Sunday 3 August’ circled on his calendar for the past two months, and the same goes for disgruntled Wests Tigers fans.
Fresh off Canterbury’s dominant win against the Manly Sea Eagles, next weekend’s Round 22 clash at CommBank Stadium will see Galvin suit up against his struggling former club for the first time—and it looms as one of the biggest NRL grudge matches in memory.
With his halves selection battle with Toby Sexton in the rear view mirror, 20-year-old Galvin will come face to face with his ex-Concord teammates with more than just two NRL competition points on the line.
The spotlight will be bright all week, the scrutiny intense, and plenty in the orange and black would love nothing more than to see the young playmaker sent home with his Bulldogs tail between his legs.
MORE: Broncos land young halfback in key signing from Cowboys
‘They can have their hatred’
Galvin spoke shortly after his acrimonious mid-season switch to Canterbury, explaining he understands why some Tigers fans may be upset that he turned his back on the club and a reported $6 million five-year deal.
“I understand where (Tigers fans) are coming from,” Galvin told Channel Nine.
“They can have their opinion, and they can have their hatred against me, I never wanted to hurt the club, I was just doing it for my best interests.”
Galvin also said he held no ill-will towards Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall or his former halves partner at the club, Jarome Luai.
“Benji was great to me, I’m so grateful for giving me my debut,” Galvin said.
“Me and Jarome, we probably weren’t going over each other’s houses and having sleepovers, but we always got on.”
Whether the pair ‘get on’ next Sunday remains to be seen, but with scores to be settled and points to be proven on both sides, it sets the stage for tantalising contest.
The second-placed Bulldogs will rightly start overwhelming favourites—at the time of writing they’re paying just $1.29 with Sportsbet while the Tigers are $3.63—but regardless of what the club says publicly, Benji Marshall and the Tigers will be desperate to exact some sweet revenge.
Fireworks are almost guaranteed, so if you have plans next Sunday afternoon, probably best to cancel them early.