Inside story: Why senior figures in the Wests Tigers playing group want Lachlan Galvin released from his contract
Wests Tigers remain staunch in not releasing Lachlan Galvin from his contract despite the playmaker rejecting the club’s $6 million offer - but player power could soon see that narrative shift.
Brent Read
and
David Riccio
Lachlan Galvin’s future at the Wests Tigers came to a head at a meeting last Thursday involving chief executive Shane Richardson and Galvin’s agent, Isaac Moses.
The pair, whose relationship has been tenuous at best in recent months, had agreed to sit down to discuss the future of one of the most promising players in the NRL.
Richardson arrived at the meeting ready to finalise a timeline for the Galvin negotiations that would have culminated in him becoming one of the highest paid players in Tigers history - a deal was in the offing believed to be worth in excess of $5 million for five years, including a significant upgrade in the final year of his deal in 2026.
Richardson never got to the point of tabling it or even discussing it. Instead, Moses made it clear from the start of the meeting that the Galvin camp had no interest in hearing what the Tigers had to offer, a position that he reinforced during a phone call on Monday morning.
Galvin’s mind was already made up. He wanted to develop his game at another club and he wanted to see what was on offer on November 1.
So there was no need to discuss a deal or a timeline because the end result would be the same - Galvin would reject the Tigers’ overtures and look elsewhere.
This decision wasn’t about money. If it was, Galvin would be at the Tigers. He would have listened to their offer and likely taken it up given it amounted to a monstrous deal that would have made him one of the highest paid players in the game.
This was about his development and longstanding concerns about his ability to thrive at the Tigers in years to come.
Remembering, it was just over 12 months ago that Galvin had considered leaving the club, only to back away from his pursuit for an early release.
To some, the divorce will seem strange given the way Galvin has taken the NRL by storm over the past year.
The Tigers teenager would have won rookie of the year honours last year but for a suspension that ruled him out of the running – he won the award for his club and from the players union.
HIGH PRAISE FROM GUS
Galvin had some of the biggest names in the game fawning over him. As Galvin was coming to the end of a stellar debut season, Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould labelled the Tigers pivot the best teenager he had seen.
“Lachlan Galvin will earn more money out of rugby league than any player in history,” Gould said on the Six Tackles With Gus podcast in August.
He doubled down earlier this year when he claimed the Tigers and Moses should avoid putting too much pressure on Galvin amid speculation that the Tigers were armed with a multimillion-dollar deal for him.
“It’s brilliant money (but) it puts a lot of pressure and scrutiny on him,” Gould said on the Nine Network.
“He probably shouldn’t be on that money at that age, there is no reason to do that to a young kid. Neither the club or his manager will allow that to happen.
“They aren’t going to allow him to come through the system as he should. It is too much scrutiny.
“Money comes with responsibilities, obligations and expectations — you want to throw it on a kid that young?”
The Tigers opted to ignore Gould’s advice, no doubt wary that there may have been another motive behind it. They had cleared the decks, allowing David Klemmer to leave and successfully arguing for Justin Olam to be medically retired.
That allowed them to piece together a deal that would have included a handsome upgrade for Galvin next year. It was to no avail.
CLUBS LINING UP FOR GALVIN
The Bulldogs are among the clubs who have immediately been linked with Galvin.
Already viewed in many quarters as premiership contenders, Galvin would arm coach Cameron Ciraldo with another classy playmaker to ease the burden on Matt Burton.
Parramatta will take their shot as well – this masthead revealed earlier this year that Galvin was on their hit list after Dylan Brown accepted a monster deal from Newcastle.
The Sydney Roosters and Manly will no doubt also be linked with Galvin given both clubs have work to do in the halves – the Sea Eagles are expected to replace Daly Cherry-Evans with Jamal Fogarty next season while Cherry-Evans looms as a short-term fix at the Roosters.
In the long term, both have work to do.
TIGERS TURN TO LUAI-LATU PARTNERSHIP
Funnily enough, the Tigers are one of the few clubs that can afford to lose a player of Galvin’s ilk and walk away confident they have the players in their system to fill the void.
Jarome Luai is contracted for at least another year, although the club will work overtime to remove the options in the remainder of his deal after that to ensure he sees out of his five year deal.
Behind Galvin, they have Latu Fainu, who is regarded as one of the best young halves in the game. Injuries have stymied his progress but it is understood he has fans at the Tigers, in particular among some of the stronger voices within the playing group.
The Tigers knew they would have to make a call at some point over Fainu, given his path to first grade was blocked by Galvin and Luai.
There were internal concerns that would be forced to cut him loose but Galvin has helped them resolve that issue by declaring his desire to leave at the end of next season.
Fainu will now be the chosen one to play in the halves alongside Luai.
WHEN WILL GALVIN LEAVE?
The Tigers made it official on Monday morning after Richardson informed club powerbrokers of the latest developments and spoke to Moses again.
Word of the breakdown in negotiations had begun filtering out and the decision was made to release a statement confirming that Galvin would be leaving at the end of 2026.
The club insisted he wouldn’t be given an early release, but if you have been in the game long enough, you know how these things work.
The Tigers may well dig in their heels and keep him for another 12 months, but that could change if a deal falls in their favour. Richardson is one of the shrewdest and most experienced operators in the game.
Few know the art of deal like Richardson. Furthermore, how does it help Fainu’s development if he is forced to play second fiddle to Galvin for the next 12 months?
The Tigers may be better served letting Galvin leave and handing a spot in the halves to Fainu, where he can develop into Luai’s long-term partner.
There is a belief in some quarters that senior figures within the playing group.
SPOTLIGHT ON BENJI-GALVIN RELATIONSHIP
The more immediate concern for the Tigers is the impact that Galvin’s decision will have on the club this season.
They have started the year with three wins through the opening six rounds and long-suffering Tigers fans can finally see some blue sky.
They find themselves in seventh spot and a place in the top eight beckons if they can maintain their form – it has been a decade since the club played in the finals.
Galvin’s decision will create ripples through the football club and its coaching department.
The idea that he has concerns over his ability to develop could be seen as a reflection on his relationship with coach Benji Marshall and the rest of the coaching office.
Only last month, this masthead revealed how much influence the coach would have over Galvin’s call and in his second season in charge, Marshall looks to be growing into the coaching role.
On top of that, the Tigers have made a promising start to the season. Yet even that hasn’t been enough to convince their prodigiously-talented five-eighth to stay at the club.
Nor has the promise of millions, the sort of money that could have set Galvin up for the rest of his life.
