‘Hypocritical’: Joey Johns slams ‘disgusting’ Jarome Luai act

Wests Tigers stars including Jarome Luai have been labelled “hypocritical” over their ugly public swipes at Lachlan Galvin.

Wests Tigers stars who have taken public swipes at Lachlan Galvin over his decision to leave the club have been labelled “hypocritical” .

Galvin’s future at the Tigers is up in the air after he informed the club he wouldn’t entertain a contract extension and would leave at the end of 2026, suggesting he would develop better at another club and not under Benji Marshall.

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CODE Sports first reported Galvin’s manager Isaac Moses was armed with a list of grievances — which related to Marshall’s coaching methods and his tutelage of Galvin over the past 12 months — when the player manager met with Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson last week.

Parramatta is firming as the likely landing spot for Galvin, with reports a deal has already been agreed to with the Eels, where he played junior footy earlier in his teens.

Tigers stars including Jarome Luai reportedly lobbied for the 19-year-old to be dropped for the Tigers’ Easter Monday clash with Parramatta, which is live on Fox League, available on Kayo Sports.

Luai and Tigers winger Sunia Turuva posted Instagram stories that made their disdain for Galvin’s decision very clear as internal unrest in the playing group was made public.

Luai posted an anime photo with the caption “Team First” while Turuva posted a photo of Galvin’s Tigers locker with the music underneath being former WWE wrestler Shane McMahon’s theme song, which is called ‘Here Comes The Money’.

The messy saga threatens to derail the Tigers’ season — and now Luai and Turuva have been slammed for airing their social media posts, especially given they left the Panthers in the offseason for a pay rise at the Tigers.

Jarome Luai took a shot at Lachlan Galvin on Instagram.

“Those two players that have said something about Lachie looked after themselves as well, looked after themselves financially,” Dragons coach Shane Flanagan said on Wednesday.

On Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and the Eighth, Brad Fittler and Andrew Johns criticised the Tigers for publicly slamming Galvin on social media.

“I think if you asked (Luai and Turuva), they’d probably like to take that back, because they left Penrith to go to the Tigers. So it is hypocritical,” Johns said.

“You’ve got to say, it sort of says a lot about the club, I suppose, and with what’s going on with Lachie,” Fittler said.

“I don’t think you would see this at Melbourne or some of the bigger clubs.

“It’s a really good opportunity just to say nothing and go and play footy.

“I find it quite disgusting what they’re all doing on social media. It’s terrible.”

Johns said he was most frustrated by how Galvin’s camp cited Marshall’s coaching ability as a key reason for the teenager’s decision to leave the Tigers in search of greater development.

Andrew Johns isn’t impressed at how the saga has played out. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Brad Fittler said Luai and Turuva were hypocritical. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

“I don’t mind that he’s leaving. It’s just part of the game that players move on,” Johns said.

“What I hate is the narrative that he’s moving on and they’ve bagged Benji. It is disgusting the way they’ve pushed that out to further Lachlan’s career.

“He’s been a pawn in all this, I have no doubt. For a 19-year-old young man, he doesn’t need this pressure

“Benji has played over 340-odd games of NRL, he’s won a world cup, he’s won a Golden Boot and he’s played over 30-odd Tests for the Kiwis. If anyone is qualified to coach a young five-eighth or half, it’s Beniji.

“Alongside him is a bloke called Jarome Luai who has done it at all levels — won comps, Origins, played for Samoa.

“I find it really disrespectful the way they’ve tried to attack Benji.”

Fittler added: “To come out and criticise Benji’s coaching is quite ridiculous.”

NRL 360 host Braith Anasta said Luai has had to sacrifice and change his game to facilitate Galvin’s playing style.

“You watch the games this year and it stands out more. I’m thinking, ‘gee, he’s changed the way he’s played this year Jarome’,” Anasta said.

“He is very controlled, his kicking game is on point, his game management has been superb so he’s put his ego aside this year for Lachlan Galvin and the way Galvin wants to play and that’s what builds so much emotion here.

“Lachlan Galvin has actually played this year like Jarome at the Panthers. He’s drifting around, playing off the cuff, making errors but coming up with big plays.

“We’ve got a four-time premiership winner going to a club and putting his ego aside and playing a different style of footy to keep a 19-year-old happy.

“Jarome’s been the steady head so he’s gone, you know what, team first mentality, team first mentality whereas the other kid has been the opposite and that’s been shown by the reaction to all of this.”

Marshall, Luai and Tigers hooker Api Koroisau are set to front the media at a press conference on Thursday morning.

Lachlan Galvin’s immediate future at the Tigers is up in the air. Picture: NRL Photos

Panthers legend Greg Alexander told news.com.au he would understand if the Tigers chose to cut ties with Galvin immediately, but pointed out that Galvin would help them press for a first finals appearance since 2011.

“The fact that he gave Benji a slap across the chops has made it even more strange,” Alexander said.

“I am not the one that makes the decisions at Penrith but if I had my say on it and it happened at our club I’d be saying — we can do without him, I don’t think we need this player. Let’s just cut ties right now.

“I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but I can understand if that did happen.

He added: “The more I thought about it, the more I think they just have to work things out. Lachie Galvin stays there and he plays for the Tigers and everyone gets on with it.

“I don’t know if that can happen, but I wouldn’t mind that being the result.

“There’s a lot of ways you can look at this situation and the fans’ reaction is pretty much spread, you know, over those two feelings — ‘We don’t want him here anymore if he’s gonna say that and do that’. Or, you know, ‘I think we need him to play finals footy this year, we need it’.”

Originally published as ‘Hypocritical’: Joey Johns slams ‘disgusting’ Jarome Luai act