“Where is my child right now?” Within the gathering that preserved Lachlan Galvin for the Wests Tigers.

On his first official day of work, Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson disclosed that he turned down a release request from Lachlan Galvin’s manager. This information sheds light on the family meeting that persuaded the breakout rookie that he belonged at the Wests Tigers.

A few short weeks ago, Galvin, then eighteen, was considering leaving the Tigers because he was afraid of not having enough opportunities at the team. Since then, he has been a revelation in the No. 6 shirt made famous by his coach, Benji Marshall.

Under the direction of Richardson and his predecessor Justin Pascoe, Galvin’s management contacted the team several times during the off-season to request permission to leave in response to the Tigers’ recruitment strategy.

After Aidan Sezer, Jayden Sullivan, Latu Fainu, and later Jarome Luai were recruited for 2025, Galvin and his family were worried that their path to first grade would be obstructed. This raised worries from his agent, Isaac Moses.

In an effort to ease the family’s fears, Richardson arranged a meeting with Moses, Galvin, and his father James at the team’s Concord offices in February prior to the squad leaving for New Zealand for the season’s first preseason trial.

Richardson stated, “We had no intention of Lachie going anywhere, so I met with Isaac and his dad.”

The family was truly interested in knowing where he fit in with us. “You bought all these people, all these playmakers, so where does my kid stand?” was what was going through their minds. And to be really honest, I get that. Additionally, I am a father.

However, I was aware of his talent and realized that we had to center the club around him. He comes from a nice family. They merely required promises that he would receive medical attention and a shot.

Since I was aware of Benji’s mindset and how impressed he was with the training, I didn’t anticipate a problem. I was unaware that he would select him there during the opening match. Before a ball was kicked, neither Benji’s nor my doubts about his status as this team’s starting six existed. We assured him all those things, and we haven’t let him down.

After this season, Galvin still has two years left on his deal with the Tigers, and in just three games, he has established himself as Jarome Luai’s long-term halves partner. Galvin will wear the No. 6 shirt.

Galvin has a contract that pays a minimum compensation of $150,000 in 2024; the following year, it will rise to roughly $250,000, and in 2026, it will reach $350,000. His performance in the first few weeks indicates that the Tigers could need to reevaluate that agreement in the upcoming 12 months.

Given his family’s connections to the southwest of Sydney, Richardson thinks Galvin’s retention will be just as important to the Tigers as John Sutton’s was to South Sydney during his tenure at the Rabbitohs.

Before I arrived, I watched the films of him, and I knew we had something exceptional, Richardson remarked. He resembles Shane Richardson’s early Souths teammate John Sutton. He is not going anywhere, not in a million years.

“I compare him to John Sutton because we were in serious trouble at Souths if we hadn’t signed him when we did. Many juniors would not have been able to stay at the club. I regard Lachie in a similar light. We won’t lose Lachie, in my opinion.

“His parents are deeply rooted in the community. His father works as the greenkeeper at Camden Lakes Golf Course. They expressed worry since we had brought in so many players to the team, but his attitude has won him over and he has performed flawlessly. He is currently the best candidate for the job, which is why he has that position.

The Tigers have a variety of choices available to them now that they have spent years trying to identify a halves combination.

Jayden Sullivan, who joined the club from the Dragons in the off season, will replace the suspended Galvin at five-eighth this week and is contracted until the end of 2027 on a deal that increases to $600,000 in the final year.

According to sources who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, Sullivan’s his future at the Tigers is uncertain – but clubs are expected to baulk at his price tag, complicating matters if the Tigers intend on releasing him at the end of the season.

Halfback Sezer has a contract with the team that is little under $300,000, and there is a mutual option for a similar deal for the next season.

On the advice of former recruiting manager Scott Fulton, Fainu joined the team and will make his NRL debut this weekend off the bench. He is paying $2.1 million for a four-year contract.

Luai, an injured five-eighth, is set to sign a five-year contract with the team worth about $6 million next year. In addition, Adam Doueihi has initiated talks with the team on a possible extension before to his July return following his third ACL tear.

Richardson remarked, “I’d rather be in our situation than some other clubs who are still trying to find a spine.” “We have a backbone for the ensuing ten years. Our situation is not dire. We may have a little too many, but when everything calms down, we’ll worry about that.

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