25-04-2025
'Not going to': Wests Tigers fans make call on how they'll treat Lachie Galvin
The head of a popular Wests Tigers fan group has told Yahoo Sport Australia that supporters are set to embrace Lachie Galvin on his return to the NRL, despite a tumultuous fortnight in which the young superstar told the club he wanted out. It comes off the back of a plea from Tigers CEO Shane Richardson for supporters to treat Galvin like "your own son" when he runs onto Leichhardt Oval for the sellout clash against Cronulla on Sunday.
Galvin polarised the supporter base by rejecting the club's offer of a lucrative contract extension that would have kept in Tigers colours for the next five years. The over-riding emotion was anger that he would walk out on the club that gave him a start, delivering rookie coach Benji Marshall a huge slap in the face as he attempts to rebuild the joint venture after years of failure.
Richardson attempted to calm tensions this week, claiming Galvin would not be a target of hate. "I'm not sure people are jumping up and down. There were 500 people clapping when he ran on the field (in Monday's NSW Cup game)," he told The Daily Telegraph.
"Lachlan Galvin is a great person. He's a junior, he's come through the club, he's going to be with us for the next 18 months. Just treat him the way you would treat your own son."
It's a message long-time Balmain and Wests Tigers fan David Craine believes the club's army of supporters will heed. Craine heads up the popular 'Wests Tigers Will Never Die' Facebook page, which has 43,000 members, and rarely misses a game.
"Obviously there are still fans who are not happy with what went down and they may vent their feelings on Sunday," he told Yahoo Sport Australia. "But I think the vast majority just want to see the team winning and will put that ahead of any gripe they may have with Galvin.
"Wests Tigers fans have been through a lot in recent times and just crave a competitive team and there's no doubt we are more competitive with him in the side. We've got a passionate fan base who get behind the team through thick and thin and we're not going to turn on players. I don't speak for every fan but I think the response towards Galvin will be mostly positive."
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After a bright start to the season, the Tigers have fallen away to lose three of their last four games. A win over the in-form Sharks would breathe new life into their campaign and give fans hope the season is not about to deteriorate.
