Galvin’s fairytale debut came after Papalii’s incredible milestone with the Raiders.
Angry footy fans have taken aim at Fox League’s relentless promotional video for Lachie Galvin before his first game for the Bulldogs on Monday. And the decision from the NRL 360 panel to snub Canberra milestone man Josh Papalii in favour of the Canterbury recruit has sparked backlash around the NRL world.
Galvin enjoyed a fairytale debut for the Dogs after coming off the bench and scoring a late try in his side’s 30-12 win over Parramatta in the King’s Birthday clash at Accor Stadium. Galvin’s name was chanted behind the bench as he prepared to come on and the 19-year-old was given a standing ovation when he entered the fray in the second half, before being mobbed by teammates when he scored a late try to all but seal the win.
It was (a relief). For the fans to get behind me (after) being here a week only is pretty cool,” Galvin said after the match. “That’s all in the past now. I just want to come over here and play good footy and enjoy my footy, that is the main reason I play and the reason I want to be here.”
Galvin was a late call-up to coach Cameron Ciraldo’s 17-man squad after initially being named amongst the reserves. And his inclusion added another dimension to the Bulldogs’ attack after Galvin took over the halfback role from Toby Sexton and forced the No.7 to shift into hooker.
The try and victory for the Dogs capped off a rollercoaster few months for Galvin, whose release from the Wests Tigers continued to dominate the headlines. But suggestions that the buzz around the 19-year-old would die down after his move to Canterbury proved ill-founded as Fox League bombarded viewers with a feature promo on Galvin before and during Monday’s game.
NRL fans lash ‘cringey’ Lachie Galvin promo
Narrated by Matty Johns, the package contained a montage of highlights from Galvin’s short career at the Tigers and touched on the significance of his signing for the Bulldogs. The promo aired numerous times in the lead-up to the game and even during halftime as the 19-year-old waited to get on the field.
Many viewers described it as overkill and ‘cringey’ from the network though and likened it to a tribute normally reserved for a legend of the game. Galvin is undoubtedly a future superstar of the sport but the level of hype around the 19-year-old clearly turned fans off. “That package on Fox Sports about Galvin is so f***ing cringe. Massively over-rated and has accomplished nothing,” one fan wrote on X.
Josh Papalii snubbed for ‘moment of the round’ honour
Incredibly, the panel on Fox League’s NRL 360 kept the Galvin love-fest going after the game by describing his try-scoring debut for the Dogs as their ‘moment of the round’. The fact they chose to overlook Canberra great Papalii’s record-breaking game for the Raiders on Sunday left many fans baffled.
Papalii scored a fairytale double as he became the most-capped player in Canberra history with 319 appearances. He even kicked an impressive conversion out wide for the high-flying Raiders to help them record a gritty come-from-behind win over South Sydney.
In terms of milestones, it couldn’t have gone any better and Canberra coach Ricky Stuart said it cemented Papalii’s status as one of the club’s greatest ever players. “This is not a rash statement, the greats of our club, the real greats, you’ve got Mal Meninga, Glenn Lazarus, Laurie Daley and Brad Clyde,” the Canberra coach said.
“You put Josh Papalii in there now and that is without any emotion, that’s just fact, that’s how good a player he is. “If you had to pick the five greatest players to play for this club… there they are.
