The Wests Tigers have thrown their support around five-eighth Lachlan Galvin ahead of his return to the NRL against the Cronulla Sharks on Sunday afternoon, while Benji Marshall said he is sick of talking about the situation.
Less than a fortnight ago, Galvin was confirmed to be departing the Tigers at the end of 2026 following speculation that he would test the open market from November 1.
The reaction that followed was swift, with Galvin questioning his ability to develop under Marshall, teammates publically ridiculing him on social media, and acussations made of bullying.
Galvin was dropped from the NRL side last weekend to clash with the Parramatta Eels, but will return this weekend against the Cronulla Sharks, and Marshall told the media ahead of it that he will pick the team he thinks is best, and didn't need to explain his decision.
"I'm sick of talking about that. I've said it every week, I'll pick the team that I think is best," Marshall said.
"I know everyone wants to talk about all of these things but we're moving on to the game. That's our focus."
"Why would I care what people say?
"Everyone wants to know why (I decided to recall him). I pick the team, you don't need to know why.
"This is the team I've picked that I think is best for us this week and we'll go with it."
Marshall's comments came as other players embraced his return to action for the game against Cronulla, which comes on the back of the disappointing Easter Monday performance.
โLachie's a great fellow, a young kid, a great player. We need him back in the team, and he's always been a part of the squad no matter what. I'm looking forward to playing with him again this week,โ Jack Bird said.
โHe never lost the trust, so didn't really have to do anything to earn it back.
โWe all like him here, and we all know he's a great player and what he provides for the team.
โHe's someone we need in the team, so we're looking forward to playing with him.โ
Galvin, who has been strongly linked to the Eels from 2027 - and potentially sooner if the Tigers elect to release him - could become the NRL's next million dollar player when his next contract commences.
The Tigers claimed at the time of their initial statement they have no plans to release Galvin, which could mean he remains at Concord for 18 months in the knowledge he won't be there from 2027 onwards.
That could well lead to animosity from the club's supporter group, but Marshall said he is hoping Galvin will be met with nothing of the sort on Sunday.
"The dust has settled a bit since last week so we're just going to get behind him, we're expecting him to do his usual thing and play the way he plays," Marshall said.
"If he sets up a try early or scores one, that'll help."
Instead of playing first-grade last weekend, Galvin played reserve grade for the Western Suburbs Magpies at Lidcombe Oval in a 22 points to 10 loss against the Eels.
Veteran Alex Twal also said he doesn't want to see any of his teammates booed as Galvin makes his return following the messy off-field situation that has enveloped the club.
โOf course, I want the fans to cheer on all my teammates,โ Twal said.
โEven when we do something wrong, I don't want to hear any boos, I want all positivity for my teammates.โ
The Tigers, who won two out of their first three, have struggled in recent weeks with three losses in their last four to sit at the wrong half of the ladder, making the game on Sunday against Cronulla a crunch one for the side as they aim to keep pace with the top eight.
