'I don't think he is': Phil Gould concedes Bulldogs plan to shift Lachlan Galvin away from halfback role

Phil Gould has given Bulldogs fans an insight into the long-term plans for the club, revealing Lachlan Galvin and Matt Burton may not be the preferred halves combination beyond 2027.

Speaking on The Bye Round podcast, Gould conceded that Galvin wasn't a natural halfback and said the Bulldogs never had any intention of giving him the No.7 jersey long-term.

He added that Toby Sexton and Reed Mahoney's exits from Belmore had been in the works long before then Wests Tigers prodigy Galvin became an option in a controversial move midway through the 2025 season.

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While Gould was adamant it had always been the plan to move Galvin once they brought through a player better suited to the halfback role, Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo was not so dismissive of the 20-year-old's potential to stay in the driver's seat, telling media on Thursday that Galvin would be given "the opportunity to be the best halfback for as long as he wants to be".

It's a slight contradiction that could further confuse the issue after Gould's effort to mollify fans with two expansive interviews in two days.

The halves combination of Galvin and Burton has been a constant talking point since the young gun arrived at Belmore and replaced Sexton in the No.7. The Bulldogs were sitting atop the ladder and were in strong form at the time.

Sexton later announced that he would be departing the club at season's end along with Mahoney, who was also moved in the team shake-up after Galvin's arrival.

Gould acknowledged that it had been a rocky road over the last 12 months but said he was certain the Galvin/Burton combination was currently the best halves pairing the club had available.

"I don't think he is a long-term halfback," Gould told James Graham on The Bye Round.

"And I don't think we had any intention of him being a long-term halfback. But I'll tell you now he is the best halfback we have got this week for this game.

"It is as simple as that, and he has been since he walked in the joint."

Gould continued: "I don't know any 20-year-olds that are a first-grade halfback.

"Galvin went from schoolboy football to the NRL with the Wests Tigers. He's never had to run a football team himself as a No.7 ... and longer term, he's probably not a No.7.

"Nathan Cleary wasn't a game manager at 20 years of age and I had first-hand knowledge of him. It takes them time to fall into that role and do the job, so (Galvin's) doing a big job in a struggling team and I think acquitting himself very well."

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Speaking on the same issue on Wednesday, Ciraldo left the door ajar for Galvin to remain in the No.7 jersey.

"He is the best halfback that we have right now and he has the opportunity to be the best halfback for as long as he wants to be," Ciraldo said.

"The way he is tracking right now is pretty good ... and what gives me great confidence in Lachy's ability to be a great Bulldog into the future is how he has dealt with (pressure) over the last few months.

"If he keeps learning the way he is, there is no way he can't be a long-term No.7."

As for Burton, Gould made clear he hoped to keep him in the blue and white beyond his current deal, which expires at the end of 2027.

"All these rumbles that he shouldn't be playing centre and that he is off to Perth, that the Bulldogs don't want him ... I sat down with him and his manager about all this rubbish and said, 'We would like to re-sign you and would like you stay with the Bulldogs'," Gould said.

"He said, 'I want to stay with the Bulldogs', and I said, 'Good'. That's a really good place to start.

"So in the next 18 months we have got to work out what we are going to pay Matt Burton and where he is going to play.

"I'm not worried about November 1 and I told his manager that. I trust his manager and I trust Matt Burton.

"Burton is not going to run out in the middle of the night and sign somewhere else without telling me.

"But Burton has got to tell me where he wants to play and if in that position he is contributing to the success of the team."

Ciraldo also said the club was not necessarily "rethinking" every part of their operation, despite Gould declaring that was the case on Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus podcast on Monday.

"I'm not sure about the word re-think," Ciraldo said.

"I think if you are not turning up every week and looking at the trends of the game, the athletes and your own club, then you are probably not doing a good job.

"Our solution right now is not to keep changing our team and moving things around. Our solution is to get the best out of every single individual."

The Bulldogs will face the Storm at Accor Stadium on Friday night.