Not even a half decent first grade five eight gets that piddling amount.
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
Marin Newman will be a big loss off the Dragons board.
we can agree 2 disagree on some of that,i did like in the last 1/4 of the year how that edge won us some games with all the kids being the main instigators
Lachlan Galvin opens up on Wests Tigers future, Jarome Luai partnership, new tattoos
Lachlan Galvin has a new look, new ink and a new halves partner for the 2025 season. Is it the signs of new beginnings at the Wests Tigers? Hear from the teen star on his Tigers future, Jarome Luai and more.Matt Encarnacion
5 min read
January 19, 2025 - 5:00AM
The responses are in: The NRL’s hottest rookie just got a lot hotter.
“Honestly, I woke up one more morning and I was in the shower and said, ‘I’m going to keep it’. I’m not going to shave it off,” a new-look Lachlan Galvin says of his goatee.
“I’m still trying to find my best look for myself. I thought I’ll give it a trial for the start of this year. But the boys love it. They think I’m hot now. So I’ll take that.”
But the five o’clock shadow isn’t the only thing noticeably different about the Wests Tigers’ boy wonder.
Ahead of his second season in the big league, Matt Encarnacion sits down with Galvin to talk about Jarome Luai, his long-term future, and another new addition to his body.
It’s a new-look Lachlan Galvin for 2025. Picture: Richard Dobson
THE TATTOOS
Goatees aren’t permanent, but the new ink on his right arm is.
And Galvin isn’t shy about revealing the extra motivation he’s literally wearing as he attempts to build on one of the more impressive rookie campaigns in recent memory.
The first is a pact with Westfield Sports High teammates Sosefa Finau, a back-rower who is in the Bulldogs system, and Jeremiah Leatigaga, a lock who’s with Galvin at the Tigers.
The tattoo reads: Make it happen.
Wests Tigers star Lachlan Galvin shows off his new tattoo. Picture: Supplied
“We’ve grown up since we were 13 together and they’re everything to me, my best mates. They’ve been my rock, at school, coming up,” Galvin said.
“We’ve always wanted to play NRL together, so we always had this quote, ‘You gotta make it happen’. No one else can do it for you. You’ve got to do it yourself.”
All three teenagers were part of Westfield Sports High’s triumphant National Schoolboys Cup title-winning team in 2023.
The other fresh ink on Galvin is the initials: I.N.F.E.
It stands for, ‘It’s not for everyone’.
It is dedicated to his old school coach Luke Vella, whose own rugby league career was cut short by a shoulder injury that tore three nerves down the left side of his body.
Vella is now an NRL assistant coach to Cameron Ciraldo at the Bulldogs.
“He’s one of the main reasons why I’m playing NRL at the moment,” Galvin said.
“He was massive for me and I owe him everything. I thought I’ll get a bit of a tattoo reminding me of him on my arm because he done so much for me.
“It’s such a true quote. It’s really not for everyone. The hard work, the sacrifices you make. You’ve got to work hard to get to this point.”
THE NEW PARTNER
Some time over the next fortnight, Galvin will tee off against star signing and new halves partner Jarome Luai to decide who is the better golfer.
“He’s a bit scared I’ll beat him. He thinks he’s a good golfer but I’ll bring up his surfing skills,” Galvin laughs.
Jarome Luai has Tigers fans excited for 2025. Picture: Richard Dobson
Luai has arrived with all the fanfare of a rugby league saviour, having not cut his hair since the first Penrith’s four straight premierships in 2021.
Galvin has played 21 games and has only just discovered facial hair.
But the club and its long-suffering fanbase are banking on the pair fast-tracking their chemistry as a halves pairing to end a run of three straight wooden spoons.
“He is a superstar. I’m a bit of a shy kid. So I didn’t really want to make the first move,” Galvin said.
“It was a bit surreal seeing him for the first time, meeting him and that. He think he’s funny, he tries to take the piss out of me so I try and give it back to him.”
Galvin says the most important part of building on-field rapport is off it.
“If you can talk and go up to him and pretty much say anything, and he can come up to me and say anything, on the field, you’ll get each other,” he said.
“We’re training every day and building combinations, but off the field is the most important thing. Really getting to know each other, going out.
“We’ve built that in the new year and a couple of weeks last year. But off the field it’s been good. He’s really tried to compliment me and come up to me.”
THE FUTURE
Luai has started the first of a mammoth five-year deal worth $6 million, albeit with a clause that opens the door for him to leave after two seasons.
Galvin is on a rookie deal that currently ends in November.
And the 19-year-old is in no rush to extend, which is a stance that, should the Tigers climb off the canvas this year, will result in a healthy pay increase.
“I’m a bit different. I don’t really want it to happen at the moment,” Galvin said.
“I just want to play this year out, play my best footy. I know with the team we’ve got now, I know we can go really well and I don’t want that interrupting (anything).
It’s easy to forget Galvin is just 19 with the talent he has shown already. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images
“When it happens, it happens. I’ll talk to my manager and parents about it, and they can talk to the club about it. I really want to stay out of that.
“When I play my best footy, I don’t want to have distractions or excuses this year because it is me second year. There’s all that second year syndrome. I don’t want any of that.”
All signs point to a long career ahead for Galvin, particularly after getting a taste of representative football with the Prime Minister’s XIII in Papua New Guinea late last year.
It was the second year in a row Galvin had visited the pacific nation, who will soon be attempting to lure players over when they enter the competition in 2028.
Asked whether he could see himself calling PNG home any time soon, Galvin said: “I don’t know, to be honest. We’ll have to wait and see.
“They love their rugby league over there. I was only fresh this year into the NRL and we went over there and they all knew who I was. They must watch and study the game.
And they were good competition, who we (played against). They were strong as, those boys. They’re going to be a force in the future when they’re in the NRL.”
user118245
Well-known member
After an hour of it being posted, just put “archive.is/“ then article URL, should show the article up after you select it
The cheese is a player that the Tigers WOULD have signed.
I don't think he fits the team and the salary cap.
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Tigerstigerstigers
Well-known member
Pole says hello
Never once did he publicly say he's going to wait and see - I'm pretty sure he said he wanted to stay if anything. Big difference
I agree with most of your points, but not the exceptional fir short kicking! He kicked a lot dead at crucial points in games, giving away 7 tackle sets to often fir my liking.
Like ok as I said he had a great first season, but teams watch their games and aim up better fir their second, we will see…
Zzzz
Surprised they didn't mention what brand of jocks he wears...
Give us a story on Bird, Hunt, Turuva or Skelton
Surprised they didn't mention what brand of jocks he wears...
Give us a story on Bird, Hunt, Turuva or Skelton
100% makes gossip and rumours actually fun
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liltiger
Well-known member
I give Pasco a hard time as much as anyone but it's been a fiasco long before him. In all honesty what ruined Pasco was Cleary. Pasco punted Taylor and got the best possible bloke in Cleary in, Pasco wasn't to know Cleary was going to knife us at the time. Pasco did at that time everything he possibly could.
liltiger
Well-known member
It's the Melbourne system, it's risky grabbing guys out of Melbourne, once they're out of their system, it'd so good it can help prop guys up and once they leave and go elsewhere they might never be the same player again.
liltiger
Well-known member
Great to have a push for a premiership within 3 years, after that the players turn on him. Just incessant intensity all the time would get on their nose
Jolls
Well-known member
RG,
Thanks for your take, but most of what you have provided are opinions as opposed to examples. While I expect that some of these are contibutors to our poor performance in and of themselves they don't indicate that he is a shit coach.
Two wooden spoons may be partly attributed to coaching but the player roster probably has more bearing on that, and the playing roster can be linked to the previous selection committee and board. I don't think you can ditectly link tow wooden spoons to poor coaching; the facts just don't support that conclusion. Could a more experineced coach have got us over the line - perhaps but not to the extent we were pushing for the eight with the roster we had. I can fully support that poor coaching cost us the spoon bowl - but that would have moved us from 17th the 16th. No change really.
So who was constantly picked out of position? I didn't recall this as an issue. I would suggest that this is a matter of opinion as opposed to an example of poor coaching. To me this is a generalisation as opposed to evidence of poor coaching. How wna when did this cause our poor performances?
I would have preferred to ease Galvin into FG as well; however, he is not the first 18 year old to debut and play FG; many in teams with successful coaches. Giving young players exposure, even at 18, can fast-track their development. Injuries and overplaying are legitimate concerns, but the responsibility for player welfare involves multiple staff, not just the head coach. So you I expect we are looking at the high perfromance and medical teams as well. Our arm chair opinions don't carry much weight here. Who would you have replaced him with? Sulivan - and if he did and had Galvin in Reggies people would be calling for his head for playing Sullivan instead of the kid, No win and not an example of poor coaching. On the other hand plenty of seasoned commentators are signing his praises for taking the approach he did with Galvin. Johns and Gus decelaring him a revelation at the Tigers and the best teen they have ever seen. This is a matter of opinion as opposed to evidence of him being a poor coach.
I don't think you can say there was a lack of a defensive game plan. In fact when they executed the defensive game plan well we perfromed well. There were times when we had good line speed, times when we had very good chase, time when we didn't have shooters in the line causing holes. When we put it together for 80 minutes we won games. We had too many lapses - was that fitness, player ability (AD/Sezer/The Pillow for example). I highly doubt that we didn't spend time coaching a workable defensive game plan, The evidence clearly shows that we did; what we don't know is why we couldn't put it together for the duration of the game. Too complex - haven't heard that anywhere - all indications are that he simplified the game plans.
I'm struggling to understand how Benji's coaching was responsible for the lack of discipline from the playing group. He sacked Naden for it, Bateman was exiled as a result of being called out for it, Seyfarth reeled it in, Sezer was going to be replaced by?????. If anything he was very clear, and in the pressers as well, that he was not happy with the discipline and that if the plyers didn't change the would change the players. I don't buy this at all.
There is a balance between being one of the boys and being the coach. Unless you are on the inside how can anyone say if he has it right or wrong. I am not hearing anything from inside of the camp that support this - in fact most of the players when interviewd say the oipposite- he gets in with theboys and shows them what he wants and is also very direct and calls a spade a spade. We have heard that he has taken a very different approach to this pre season as well. Have you considered that being “one of the boys” might actually help foster a supportive environment, particularly for a team in transition or rebuilding mod? Benji’s experience and charisma could be what turns us around. I'm not saying at all that he has the balance right - but I don't see any evidence that supports your opinion. I'm on the fence with this.
How do you link the approach to pressers to being a poor coach. This is a stretch and again a matter of opinion, You coule equally argue that publicly backing the team, even in tough times, shields players from external pressures and media scrutiny. You can bet that Benji's Monday morning video sessions don't include his press comments. What do you know about his internal accountability measures? I doubt this is visible to outsiders, so if you have evidence to support the point I am all ears but this is purely opinion.
Look I get that we haven't performed well. I'm on the fence as to his coaching ability as there is evidence to suggest that the plying group have been instructed on what to do, but have failed to execute it. They boys on the Wests Tigers Faithful podcast did an excellent breakdown of our performace over 2024 and one of the more telling facts was where we were receiving the ball from and turning the ball over to the opposition. So we weren't able to get out of our end - that isn't coaching that the poor roster. The attackign stats in several areas were at the top of the league and some of our defensive stats were also OK. So the evidence does not support the opinions that many had in realtion to poor attack and defence.
Benji's coaching career is just beginning. Judging him on early results ignores the possibility of growth, refinement, and the impact of long-term strategies. Strategies that Benji and Richo have stated on many occasions are in place and they are not deviating from the pla. The team needs time to be adapted to this vision and strategy. Despite Benji being here for a couple of years the vision and strategy started in 2024.
Every coach starts somewhere, and while early results or decisions may be polarising, it's crucial to give time for development and see where his leadership takes the team. So at the end of the day I still seen haven't seen much evidence that supports the statements that his coaching is poor. I have seen no evidence that supports the statements that he is shit coach; just plenty of opinion.
He has definitely made mistakes, but what coach hasn't? Until somone provides evidence that his coaching is poor I'm still sitting on the fence and giving him some more rope.
Spoon bowl wasnt very good from the coach
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
Apples and oranges
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
That night is all I can think about when I read people talking him up. No one cared to on that night.
