Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo has a short video clip saved on the phone of Lachlan Galvin doing his first body weight session in the team gym. He has it there as a moment in time, and intends to one day show Galvin to remind him where he came from.

Galvin is about to undergo a physical and mental makeover now he is at the Bulldogs – something the rising star has been craving.

The recruit has already caught the eye at training for his skill work, but will undergo an intensive course in the Bulldogs’ systems, which will test his football IQ and toughness.

Galvin was so interested in developing the physical side of his football at the Wests Tigers that he was looking into hiring his own wrestling coach. The playmaker wasn’t always required by the Tigers when it came to wrestling sessions – a decision that wasn’t in his hands and which didn’t sit well with him.

The 19-year-old wanted to better himself through his own offsite work. He won’t have that same issue at the Bulldogs.

Canterbury general manager Phil Gould often spouts the line: “be careful what you wish for”. At the Dogs, Galvin will receive an education in the dark arts and the mental side of the game. The club is taking small but significant steps to bring him up to speed physically as well as schooling him in their defensive systems.

Lachlan Galvin trains with the Bulldogs.Credit: Canterbury Bulldogs

Galvin has never been one to do a lot of weight work. It has not been a big part of his training. One of the first things the Dogs will do with him is begin to build his body so it can withstand the training schedule that has made them one of the more physical sides in the competition.

It may impact his performances on the field as he adjusts to how the Dogs go about their work. Right now, Galvin would be one of the few Bulldogs players who doesn’t need to be taped up before a training session. You can imagine that after a couple of months in their program, that will change as his body becomes battle-hardened.

Galvin is seen as a raw talent in every sense by the Bulldogs and, initially, he may do it tough physically. But he’ll be better after an off-season under Cameron Ciraldo which will start to transform him into the physical player they want him to become.

Good judges say he has the size and skill to eventually develop into a forward in the mould of Isaah Yeo. Where he fits in to the team in the meantime remains........

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