The Wests Tigers' season has taken a dramatic turn, with senior players led by Jarome Luai reportedly telling coach Benji Marshall they no longer want to play alongside departing young star Lachlan Galvin, whose decision to look for another club has ignited public and internal unrest at Concord.
The situation escalated rapidly following the club's confirmation that Galvin will leave at the end of the 2026 season, after rejecting the richest junior contract offer in Tigers history.
Though the official line paints the exit as a future move, it has fractured relationships inside the current playing group.
Galvin was initially expected to be named in the team for this week, but that plan was scrapped after a meeting between Marshall, CEO Shane Richardson and senior players who objected to his selection.
It was trademark Jarome Luai social media as he posted a cryptic โteam firstโ message on Instagram, widely interpreted as a jab at Galvin's decision to leave.
Journalist Andrew Webster praised the statement on Fox, saying, โI love Jarome. In a game where so many are players are too scared to be themselves, he's unashamedly himself.โ
Galvin was reportedly asked to address the playing group but according to Webster, โ... they had to call an end to it because they weren't copping what was coming out of his mouth.โ
Adding fuel to the fire, fellow recruit Sunia Turuva posted a private Instagram story mocking Galvin with a WWE song reference to "Here Comes the Money" - a not-so-subtle shot at the teenager's intentions.
There has always been a problem of leaking at the Tigers, and this shows that while the team has made exceptional advances on the field, there is still much to improve off the field.
Turuva's account has now been made private.
Fonua Pole also attracted attention after liking a fan's scathing comment that read, โUnf---ingbelievable. We give you a shot at first grade and hand you the keys to the franchise with every tool possible around you to succeed cya mate.โ
The club has now dropped Galvin to NSW Cup which sees Luai move to five-eighth and Adam Doueihi to halfback for the weekend.
Former chairman Lee Hagipantelis wasn't surprised by the move, but questioned the timing.
โI was shocked, not as to the substance of what had occurred, but I was shocked as to the timing,โ he said, speaking with Newswire.
โLachie had requested (when I was there) on at least two occasions, perhaps even three, a release that was not granted.โ
While the reasons for Galvin's discontent remain vague, Hagipantelis confirmed his management, led by Isaac Moses, had previously pushed for an early exit.
โThe reasons for it weren't fully explored,โ he admitted.
โHe was unsettled, and I've heard from independent sources that it's been made known for a little while that he wasn't staying at that club.โ
What was initially framed as a routine contractual move has now morphed into a saga that the Tigers could well have done without.
โI'm very concerned what impact it might have on the rest of the season because it will be a talking point moving forward until such time where it's been resolved and he signs with another club,โ Hagipantelis continued.
