https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...p/news-story/cc6437b9c17cdc69605f39aaff24eac7
Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson has urged the club’s fans to treat Lachlan Galvin like their own son as
the wantaway teenage superstar prepares to make an emotional return to the NRL before a seething crowd at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Richardson has also hit back at allegations of bullying at the Tigers, opened up on his combustible relationship with powerful agent Isaac Moses and lavished praise on under-fire coach Benji Marshall in an exclusive interview with this masthead.
The Tigers have been the club in the eye of a storm over the past week following revelations that Galvin was eyeing off a future elsewhere, having rejected the opportunity to discuss a contract extension that would have been worth $6 million for another five years.
Richardson never even got the chance to table the deal after Galvin’s management made it clear he would leave at the end of 2026, when his existing deal expires.
The Tigers responded to that decision and the backlash that followed by
sending Galvin back to NSW Cup, where he played for Western Suburbs at the weekend only days after it emerged
his management had sent the club a legal letter outlining claims of bullying and an unsafe workplace.
Richardson insisted the club would fight the claims – which appear headed for mediation after Galvin’s management enlisted high-profile silk Arthur Moses SC to take on his case – but in the meantime called on Tigers fans not to take out their frustration on Galvin.
“Lachlan Galvin is a great person, he’s a junior, he’s come through the club, he’s going to be with us for the next 18 months,” Richardson said.
“Just treat him the way you would treat your own son. I’ve got to say on the weekend at the Wests game – there were 500 people there – they were clapping when he ran on the field.
“I’m not sure that people are jumping up and down, but I don’t disparage his decision at all, except that I don’t agree that Benji wouldn’t make him a better player.”
BULLYING CLAIMS
Galvin’s legal team confirmed in an email to this masthead on Tuesday that they were seeking urgent mediation to resolve the issues between the Tigers and their brightest young star.
While they declined to elaborate on their areas of concern, it is understood they stretch beyond the social media missives from teammates Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva last week that were interpreted as criticism of the teenage playmaker.
Richardson was not happy with the Turuva post in particular, but he bristled at suggestions of bullying at the Tigers.
Asked about the allegations, Richardson said: “They’re not true. I can’t comment about legal cases for obvious reasons but of course we’ll contest it.
“If you have ever played in a team, there are emotional things in a team. This is not your mate down the road, this is a football team that’s building itself together.
“I don’t think Luai’s (post) was too bad but certainly Turuva’s shouldn’t have happened and I have spoken to Turuva about it.
“But emotions happen. To try to control emotions, it’s impossible in rugby league.”
Richardson also defended the club’s culture given the current environment.
“Outstanding,” he said.
“We’ve come up from a club that’s won three wooden spoons. We were a laughing stock everywhere.
“We’ve come back from that to be competitive on the field. We’re certainly competitive off the field. We had 27,000 people at the game on the weekend. A gate of $1 million.
“So off the field we’ve got it right. We’ve got it right with the coaching staff. We spent a lot of money on leadership and a lot of money on health and safety with Tim Grant and people under him.
“So I’m more than confident with the processes that are in place.”
DEALING WITH MOSES
The Tigers have had a tempestuous relationship with leading manager Isaac Moses over the years and the Galvin saga is just the latest spotfire between the club and one of the most powerful figures in rugby league.
Moses manages some of the game’s biggest names, be it players or coaches. He has been accused at times of wielding too much influence and Richardson concedes his relationship with Moses has been strained in recent times.
Still, it’s better than the relationship between Moses and Marshall. The pair have seemingly been engaged in a private war that now threatens to potentially cost the Tigers their most promising player.
Asked about the relationship between Moses and the club, Richardson was blunt.
“It’s not good, obviously it’s not good,” he said.
“This year we’ve had challenges and they’ve all been with Isaac Moses’ clients. So it’s no secret. I’ve got to deal with Isaac, he’s got to deal with me.
“Benji deals with the player, I deal with the manager. So I deal with Isaac because Benji and Isaac have no relationship whatsoever – in fact, it’s antagonistic.
“What I’ve done is I’ve stepped in the middle. He’s (Moses) certainly made it clear to everybody … that Benji’s not on his Christmas list and I’m sure he’s not on Benji’s Christmas list.
“At the end of the day, I have had to deal with managers all my life. I’ve had some good ones, some shockers and some in between.
“Some I don’t deal with, some I do deal with. You can’t do this for 30 years without working with player managers. Isaac is smart, he is intelligent and he’s trying to do what is best for his clients.
“I get all that, but he’s not doing the best for Wests Tigers. My job’s what is best for the Wests Tigers. And what I’ve done is handle this the way I think is right – be honest and up-front.”
Richardson insisted he and Moses could continue to work together.
“Well he’s got clients with us,” he said.
“So we’ll all continue to work on it. Isaac and I go a long way back. I wasn’t happy the way he managed (Anthony) Seibold at Souths.
“And at the end of the day, my job is to make sure that the Wests Tigers are protected. And I believe what we did, I don’t believe it could be done any other way.
“It’s come out this week, we popped the pimple, we’ve moved on from it. I honestly believe that we couldn’t have done any better – we could have done without the social media, but everybody could do without social media.”
GALVIN’S FUTURE
Galvin is back in the team this week for the game against Cronulla but the question will linger how long the marriage can survive given the legal action that is unfolding in the background and the teenager’s seemingly tenuous relationship with senior leaders.
Richardson insists the Tigers are ready to dig in their heels and relationship with senior players can be assuaged.
The plan is for Galvin to see out the remainder of his deal until the end of 2026 as rival clubs hover overhead.
“It’s not changed,” Richardson said.
“He’s never requested (a release). The bottom line from the club’s point of view, is he is here for the next 18 months. Football players are all about winning games.
“I don’t care who you are, where you are, they want to win the game. Now last week they didn’t feel like they could win a game, or the coach didn’t think they could win (with Galvin in the team).
“This week they feel they can. From my point of view, I don’t think that’s a concern.
“It’s business as usual. Our attitude as a club is he is here for the next 18 months and we’ll work our way forward from there.”
The other elephant in the room is the relationship between Marshall and Galvin. When Galvin said he wanted to leave the club in the best interests of his development it was taken as a shot at Marshall and his coaching ability.
“The stuff about Benji and all the rest of it, he has never once said to us, not one time has he said to us, that Benji’s not a good coach or can’t coach,” Richardson said.
“What he said to us is he wants to be the best player I can be, and I believe that I can be that at another club.
“He’s never said (Marshall can’t coach). Lachlan is a very honest kid. He’s as simple as it gets. He loves his footy. If he were sitting here with you, he would be twirling the ball.
“He just loves his footy. He’s always had this thing in the back of his mind that he could obviously get a better opportunity elsewhere.
“The bottom line is though from that point of view, Lachlan has never said that in any way, shape or form (that Marshall can’t coach).”
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