Wests Tigers boss Shane Richardson has revealed 18-year-old sensation Lachlan Galvin made multiple release requests over the summer as the club kept signing halves.
It came after Galvin’s manager Isaax Moses raised his concerns with the club after the Tigers had signed halves Jarome Luai, Aidan Sezer, Jayden Sullivan and Latu Fainu.
Galvin feared he wouldn’t be given an opportunity to showcase his talents, so Richardson called a meeting with his family.
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Richardson met with the Galvins in February before the Tigers went to New Zealand for their first pre-season trial to allay the family’s concerns, according to The SMH.
“I met with Isaac and his dad because we had no intention of Lachie going anywhere,” Richardson said.
“What the family really wanted to know is where he belonged with us. They were thinking, ‘You bought all these people, all these playmakers, so where does my kid stand?’ And to be honest, I can understand that. I’m a father, too.
“But I knew how good he was and I knew we needed to build this club around him. He’s got a good family. They just needed reassurances that we were going to take care of him and that he would get a shot.
“I didn’t think there would be an issue because I knew how Benji was thinking and how impressed he was at training. I didn’t know he was going to pick him there in the first game. There was never any doubt in my mind before a ball was kicked, or Benji’s, that he was going to be a starting six for this club. We gave him those reassurances, and we’ve kept our word.”
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Galvin is reportedly on the NRL minimum wage of $150,000 in 2024 but his contract increased to about $250,000 in 2025 and $350,000 in 2026.
“I looked through the tapes of him before I came and I knew we had something special,” Richardson said.
“He’s the John Sutton of Shane Richardson’s early days at Souths. There’s no way in the world he’s ever going anywhere.
“I say he’s like John Sutton because if we didn’t sign him at Souths when we did, we were in real trouble. We wouldn’t have been able to keep a lot of juniors at the club. I see Lachie the same way. I don’t see us losing Lachie.”
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