Wests Tigers youngster Lachlan Galvin has broken his silence on the decision to leave the joint-venture club at the end of 2026.
The bombshell, dropped on Monday morning, will see Galvin serve the final year and a half of his deal at Concord before moving to a new club.
The Tigers, in their statement, confirmed no early release would be agreed to, and also said they offered the biggest contract for a junior in their history.
It was believed Galvin's deal on the table from the club was set to be worth $5 million over 5 years.
Galvin, speaking with News Corp, revealed that he decided to allow the club to plan for their future early instead of mulling over it all year.
"I totally understand my decision will frustrate many Wests Tigers fans, but please know that it wasn't an easy call to make," Galvin said.
"It's a decision that I have discussed at length with my parents, closest friends and family. I'm extremely grateful for their love and support in making this call.
"The biggest reason why I made this call now is so that the Wests Tigers have enough time to plan their roster without me in the future. That's the absolute truth of it.
"The club were eager to get a deal done, and so they called a meeting with my management last week. I could've mulled over this decision all season, but I didn't think that was the right thing to do."
The five-eighth, who is likely to be the NRL's next million-dollar player, could well be permitted to begin negotiations with rivals early for 2027, given the Tigers have now decided he won't be at the club.
The youngster, however, confirmed he has not yet had discussions or done a deal with a rival club.
"I thought it would be best for everyone to make the call now rather than drag it out. Any suggestion that I already have a deal done at another club for 2027 is simply not true," Galvin said.
"I'm extremely grateful to be able to go to work every day as an NRL footballer, and the Wests Tigers have played a massive role in the opportunity I have to play this game.
"I just feel that as I move into an important period of my development as a half, that I continue to build my game at a different club. Again, I know this might be hard for some people to understand, but I make this decision in the best interests of my career."
