Wests Tigers have had the last laugh at Lachlan Galvin, ambushing premiership hopefuls Canterbury for a 28-14 upset win in their first game against their former favourite son.
All eyes were on the Bulldogs’ mid-season signing Galvin before kick-off in rainy Parramatta on Sunday afternoon but it was his rival halfback Adam Doueihi who stole the show.
Benji Marshall’s decision to shift Doueihi from lock to No.7 proved a masterstroke as the off-contract utility scored one try and was pivotal to another two on the way to a game-defining 20-0 lead.
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Galvin was busy, booed by jilted Tigers fans with every touch, but couldn’t assert himself on the contest as Canterbury struggled for rhythm in the slippery conditions.
The Tigers faithful rejoiced when Jarome Luai drove a high fend into Galvin’s face as he ran the ball in the first half and then stood over the 20-year-old to taunt him after the tackle.
It was a showing of the Tigers’ intent not to be bullied by the highly-fancied Bulldogs, who at one stage made errors in three consecutive sets coming out of their own end in the first half.
Superstar captain Stephen Crichton sent Jacob Preston and Jacob Kiraz over for tries either side of the break to pull the Dogs back into the fight.
But Canterbury will rue not scoring while the tiring Tigers lost Alex Seyfarth to the sin bin for a high shot on Harry Hayes.
It came just after firebrand Seyfarth was penalised for throwing the ball at Max King in frustration during the second half.
Crichton was lucky not to have joined Seyfarth in the bin for an ugly high tackle on Taylan May that left his former Penrith teammate unable to finish the game.
With their loss to the 14th-placed Tigers, the Bulldogs blew a golden opportunity to move atop the ladder as they hunt a first premiership since 2004.
Doueihi, already the Tigers’ form player, replaced Latu Fainu as starting halfback and helped put Jeral Skelton over for first points bouncing away from three defenders and offloading.
He belted from dummy-half through the Bulldogs’ scattered defensive line on a 90-metre tear that allowed returning fullback Jahream Bula to score the visitors’ second try.
After right winger Skelton had a second try from Api Koroisau’s boot, Doueihi scooped up a drop ball from Matt Burton and sprinted 85 metres for his own four-pointer and a 20-0 lead.
The Bulldogs threatened to chase the Tigers down in the second half with some dangerous attack down the right edge.
But just after Crichton and Galvin bungled a would-be runaway try, the Tigers marched up the other end where Samuela Fainu confirmed victory scoring from Luai’s suspect pass.
