It would appear from the outside that the challenge Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo is facing with Lachlan Galvin is one every club would like to have: fitting a highly talented young player into your team.

But the Bulldogs know the club’s enemies – and those with a target on the back of general manager Phil Gould – are trying their best to divide and conquer.

It’s why Gould was happy to address the playing group – Galvin included – at Ciraldo’s request last week. It’s something he has asked not to be written about.

There has been plenty of media chatter concerning the impact Galvin’s arrival would have on the other playmakers at the Bulldogs, with some said to be disgruntled at having to make way for the 19-year-old.

Gould is celebrating his 50th year in league, and has seen this movie before. The one where his enemies try and divide his club. None of the players he addressed in the Bulldogs’ team theatre on Wednesday were born when Gould was doing his stuff as a club coach. He shared his experiences.

The exact wording of speech hasn’t been divulged to this column, but the gist of it has. Gus explained to the players that media reports of disunity in the playing group were predictable and due to the Bulldogs being a club on the rise.

Lachlan Galvin scores on debut for Canterbury.Credit: Getty Images

He talked about the childish attempts to pit players against each other through the media, and highlighted the various agendas at play. He listed the players who have left the club and explained that the Bulldogs were seeking to become a better team by recruiting new players – Galvin among them.

He also said the ladder-leading Bulldogs were now a target – and that if you can make it at Canterbury, you can make it anywhere. Belmore has becomes rugby league’s New York.

The underlying message, though, was that if any player had an issue, they know who to come and see. The players were asked if they knew that and who they should reach out to, and they all said they felt comfortable approaching Gould.

He hasn’t got an office inside Canterbury headquarters, but he is among the players and staff most of the time and makes it known that he is available to talk if needed.

It’s significant that Gould’s address to the team came soon after he spoke personally to Reed Mahoney. Ciraldo also spoke to his No.9 after he was replaced midway through the second half in the Bulldogs’ win over Parramatta on Monday.

Vision of Mahoney venting his frustration in the dressing sheds afterwards gave ammo to those pushing the narrative that Galvin’s arrival has disrupted the harmony of the playing group.

Mahoney, the one-time Bulldogs skipper, is understood to have left the meeting with a clear head and a good outlook. The club acknowledged he was disappointed to have been taken from the field, and that the footage didn’t help.

That vision is not the main issue. But it is clear Mahoney knows where he stands and is comfortable at the club. Toby Sexton, too, has also been kept informed of the........

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