Lachie Galvin had to clean the Wests Tigers gym and was put through extra training sessions so gruelling he vomited as part of his punishment for missing the team bus last month.
Galvin was literally spewing after his alarm clock failed to go off and he and teammates Tallyn Da Silva and Luke Laulilii were late getting away from their Auckland hotel following the round 21 loss to the New Zealand Warriors.
Galvin opened up for the first time about the New Zealand slip-up, one of the few things that have not gone right for the rookie this year.
“We weren’t even on the drink,” Galvin told this masthead. “We were sober as. It was just a case of the alarm not going off.
“We had got home after the game, and because Luke had the HIA, we stayed with him. We were up until about 3am or 3.30am, just chilling and talking and mucking around in our room.
Lachlan Galvin (left) celebrates Luke Laulilii’s try on debut against Canberra.Credit: Getty Images
“I set my alarm for 5.15am because we had to be on the bus at 6am. But the alarm never went off. [Tigers official] Billy Callaway knocked on our door about 6.10am. Luckily, we were already packed. There was no time for a shower. We all looked at each other and were like, ‘Wow’. We got a taxi to the airport, which Billy paid for, but we ended up getting to the airport before the bus. We apologised to [coach] Benji [Marshall] and the team.
“We had to do extras when we got home. We cleaned the gym for a few days. And we had three sessions of ‘off-feet’, which included the rower and assault bike. There were a few challenges, like one minute on and one minute off. I threw up a few times on the bike.”
Galvin would have been in contention for NRL rookie of the year honours but became ineligible after receiving a two-match suspension for a hip-drop tackle in round four.
The five-eighth will play his 19th game of the season on Saturday night against South Sydney and cited his left-edge combination with Samuel Fainu as one of the most pleasing things he had achieved in his first year.
But Galvin will switch to the right side against Souths, a move designed to help his right-footed kicking game while also giving fans an early look at how he performs on that side of the field ahead of the arrival of $6m man Jarome Luai, a predominantly left-sided player.
The 19-year-old will be joined by good friend Heath Mason, who starts his first NRL game at fullback following confirmation Jahream Bula underwent season-ending shoulder surgery.
A win over Souths, along with the bye in round 26, could give the Tigers a shot at avoiding the wooden spoon against Parramatta, who await in the final round at Campbelltown. Bula has a mortgage on the No.1 jersey, but his enforced absence will give Mason a chance to shine in his preferred position.