When Lachlan Galvin runs onto Leichhardt Oval on Sunday afternoon, his mother won’t be in the stands.
Tracey Galvin fears the reception from the Tigers faithful, at least initially, will be unkind. A nervous spectator at the best of times, the prospect of hearing her son running out to a cacophony of boos is too much.
Instead, she will spend her afternoon watching another of her sons run out for the Narellan Jets. While not bitter about Galvin’s treatment, Tracey will feel more comfortable watching his hyped return to the top grade away from the eighth wonder of the world.
Hopefully, the reception from his teammates is warmer. The Tigers got a glimpse of life without Galvin when they dropped him to reserve grade. It wasn’t pretty.
While the teenager was serving his penance in Magpies colours at Lidcombe Oval, Jarome Luai and Adam Doueihi attended a playmaking clinic conducted by Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses. Galvin’s presence may not have changed that result, but it quickly became apparent, at least while Latu Fainu is sidelined with a thumb injury, that they are more likely to win with than without him.
Last week, when tensions were at their highest, Luai turned to Instagram.
“Team first,” Luai posted.
Coach Benji Marshall, although stung by Galvin’s reasons for not extending his contract, put the team first in naming Galvin in his side on Tuesday. Now Luai gets a chance to show the words he posted weren’t hollow.
A week ago, in Luai’s eyes, “Team first” meant defending the coach he had left the best team in the competition to play under. Now, that mantra requires him to put an arm around Galvin.
Luai has previously spoken about his desire to be Batman, to step out of being the Robin to Nathan Cleary at Penrith. With his coach under pressure and the season in danger of slipping away, what happens next could be the making of him.
Lachlan Galvin has knocked back an offer from the Tigers.Credit: Getty Images
If Luai can heal a seemingly fractured playing group, with Galvin riding shotgun by his side, it will be a feat as impressive as the four premierships he won at the Panthers.
It is also an opportunity for Galvin to show a maturity beyond his 19 years. While there have been suggestions his contractual dramas have weighed heavily on him, those close to Galvin say he remains unaffected.
One of the traits that make Galvin such a special player is his ability to quickly forget errors and on-field setbacks. The Westfield Sports High School product’s personality on the field is matched by a similar one off it. While some have speculated that recent events have weighed heavily on Galvin, those close to him are adamant he remains a carefree teen.
While one person on social media threatened to key Galvin’s car, the young man remains unaffected.
Meanwhile, the game being played off the field continues. The Tigers are adamant they won’t let a talent they were prepared to pay $6 million to retain go early. Galvin’s legal team, having retained leading silk Arthur Moses SC, has sought “urgent mediation” following accusations that their client has been bullied.
The only winners from this sad, sorry mess will be the lawyers.
Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson made the point that Galvin has never criticised Marshall’s coaching. It’s a pointer to the club’s beef being with Galvin’s agent rather than the player.
Some disgruntled footy fans took up the theme when they began a petition calling for manager Isaac Moses to be banned from practising in the NRL. At the time of writing, there were fewer than 1000 signatures.
Others have called for Moses to be answerable to the media. Both suggestions are a nonsense. The only person Moses is answerable to is his client.
“Certainly, once they’ve rejected the West Tigers offer and the way the West Tigers reacted, the manager has used the opportunity now to say, ‘Well, all right, if that’s the way you want to be about it, then this is what we’re going to do’,” said Phil Gould on his Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
“Who’s right, and who’s wrong here? It’s six of one, half a dozen of the other … it’s just unfortunate that a kid wants to walk out on his club like that. And there must be a reason for it.”
While unperturbed by his mother’s absence at the game, not having his grandfather there is another matter. The 90-year-old, one of Galvin’s biggest supporters, has been hospitalised and isn’t mobile enough to watch his grandson live. Galvin knows a big performance on Sunday would be the best medicine.
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