Lachlan Galvin explains he is leaving Wests Tigers to give them time to plan their NRL future without him

Lachlan Galvin says he told West Tigers he was leaving the club at the end of 2026 to give them enough time to plan their future without him and has denied he already has a deal set up with a rival club.

Hours after Tigers coach Benji Marshall dropped Galvin — following the five-eighth’s decision to knock back the club’s contract extension — the 19-year-old explained why he had made the bombshell decision.

“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 in a statement.

“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.”

Galvin said he did not want to enter drawn out contract negotiations with the Tigers so decided to nip the issue in the bud by telling Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson, via his agent Isaac Moses, he was leaving.

Moses also went armed with a list of complaints Galvin had about Marshall when he met Richardson.

“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,” Galvin said.

“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.

“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.”

The teenage sensation passed on what the Tigers called the biggest contract they’d ever offered to a local junior and will be free to negotiate with rivals from November.

The Tigers were set to offer him a five-year extension plus a top-up for the next 18 months totalling around $6 million. He is understood to be earning $350,000 currently.

Galvin’s father James said his son would continue to play hard for the Tigers until his contract ended, but it appears highly unlikely he will stay at Leichhardt for another 18 months after it was reported his demotion appears to have been strongly driven by the player group.

Jarome Luai, who will replace Galvin at five-eighth, and Api Koroisau told Marshall they did not want Galvin to play if he was not committed to the long-term future of the team.

“I want the best for my son and his development as an NRL player and for that I’m supportive of his decision as he’s the one who knows his game best,” James Galvin said.

“As a family we’re comfortable that Lachie is backing himself as a young man. What I know is that Lachie will continue to do his best for the club for the remainder of his time there.”

Adam Doueihi will play half-back against Parramatta on Easter Monday. The Eels are one of the club’s Galvin has been linked to with Dylan Brown joining the Knights on a $13 million, 10-year deal.

Doueihi is fighting for his own contract extension as the Tigers look to build on a 3-3 start to the season.

But in an ominous sign that the Tigers are prepared to play hard-ball with their star, Galvin won’t have the chance to begin putting himself in the shop window.

Galvin is expected to line-up for the Western Suburbs Magpies against the Eels on Monday.

Latu Fainu is currently recovering from a thumb injury but he and Jack Bird would provide other halves options should the Tigers’ stand-off with Galvin continue.

The Tigers have previously insisted Galvin will not be permitted an early release from his deal.

Former Tigers star and Sydney Roosters skipper James Tedesco declared Galvin should have been the “the future of the club” and that Marshall would have been “looking after him” revealing his shock at the news which has rocked the NRL.

Galvin won’t find himself at the tricolours given the club refuses to deal with his manager who also guided Tedesco out of the club early in his career.

News that Galvin didn’t even entertain a five-year extension from the Tigers before confirming his exit has come as a hammer blow to a club that could have built its future around a young man who would have been the Dally M rookie of the year in 2024 had he not been ruled out of contention due to a hip-drop tackle ban.

Tedesco went through something similar in 2017 along with Mitchell Moses and Aaron Woods when the Tigers tried to keep them all but lost the trio to rival clubs.

Woods signed with the Bulldogs on April 30, Tedesco signed with the Roosters on May 4, while Moses was playing for Parramatta later that month after contract negotiations broke down.

Tedesco was can’t quite understand the timing of the Galvin news but is adamant former teammate and current Tigers coach Benji Marshall will be looking out for the young half who reportedly isn’t a fan of his coaching style.

“I feel like he should be the future of the club,” Tedesco said. “We went through it (when I was there) and then we all ended up leaving as well. I’m sure Benji did everything to make sure it would work.

“I don’t know why it didn’t work, but I’m sure there will be a lot of teams interested in signing him whenever that is. It’s a tough period for him now as a young kid.

“It’s hard to comment when you don’t know all the ins and outs, but Benji would know this as well because he’s been a young kid coming through the grades who has had to make big decisions.

“I know Benji well and I know he’ll be looking after him. I don’t know how that looks team-wise or with the decisions that they’ll make, but Benji would be understanding.”

Galvin’s manager Moses has attracted plenty of criticism for how this has all been handled, with Moses looking after Tedesco and his other clients when he was still at the Tigers.

He will start fielding some enormous offers when Galvin is officially on the market on November 1. with Tedesco urging those close to him to rally around the young five-eighth as he deals with the fallout from Monday’s major announcement.

“It’s very important to have support staff and friends and family around you. It’s not easy,” he said.

“You don’t know anything when you’re that age so you’re just doing your best.”

“I just hope he’s well supported and well guided because there is going to be a lot of interest in him because he’s a great young player who has shown that in his short career. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.”

With AAP and Newswire