When the Canterbury Bulldogs were wheeling and dealing on the mid-season player market, they could barely have imagined it would all come down to this.
In a remarkable change of fortunes, there are reports that Super League-bound halfback Toby Sexton may be called upon not just to guide the finals fate of the injury-ravaged Bulldogs—but to do it alongside the player who has hastened his departure from the club for 2026, Lachlan Galvin.
Despite requiring scans for a shoulder injury suffered in the week one finals loss to the Melbourne Storm, 24-year-old Sexton has declared he will be fit to play if selected for Sunday afternoon’s knock-out semi final with the Penrith Panthers in what could be his final appearance in the blue and white jersey.
Exiled to NSW Cup for the final seven rounds of the regular season, it’s a potentially remarkable turnaround following news that injured Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton is unlikely to be available until the NRL grand final, at best.
MORE: Six Bulldogs in doubt as injury toll threatens do-or-die clash with Penrith
Complicated by a host of other injuries to backline stars, Crichton’s absence may see five-eighth Matt Burton move into the centres in a repeat of the backline reshuffle used by Cameron Ciraldo against the Storm last Friday night—with Sexton reverting to halfback, the position he held for the first half of the 2025 season as the Bulldogs led the competition.
‘To think I’m going to be playing in a final against Penrith’ says Sexton
While Sexton understands the irony of the situation, he certainly holds no ill will against 20-year-old Galvin.
“He’s a great kid, he works hard and at the end of the day he’s here to win games and that’s all that matters,” Sexton told NRL.com
“I thought four or five weeks ago I wouldn’t get an opportunity like this again.
“It’s crazy the way everything works out and to think I’m going to be playing in a final against Penrith is something I’m not taking for granted.”
As unlikely as the finals pairing would be, Cameron Ciraldo and Bulldogs fans will be hoping Sexton and Galvin can strike an immediate and successful partnership if called upon in what is the biggest game of their NRL season.
The winner of the Bulldogs-Panthers clash at Accor Stadium will travel north for a preliminary final against the Brisbane Broncos.