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Jarome Luai opens up on Lachlan Galvin’s Wests Tigers exit ahead of Bulldogs grudge match

As he prepares to take on his former halves partner for the first time, Jarome Luai has opened up on Lachlan Galvin’s Wests Tigers exit, insisting he only ever want to help his ex-teammate.

If there was any residual bitterness or ill-will towards former teammate Lachlan Galvin at the Wests Tigers, it wasn’t on show on Wednesday. Not as former halves partner Jarome Luai and long-time teammate Tony Sukkar took centre stage and addressed their impending clash with their former teammate.

Galvin left the Tigers two months ago in a blaze of controversy, having launched legal action against the club amid claims of bullying. The Tigers dug in their heels for a while but eventually had no real choice.

The last thing coach Benji Marshall needed was a player within his ranks who was at odds with the club and some of his teammates. So the Tigers and Galvin went their separate ways.

Wests Tigers skipper Jarome Luai (right) says he did everything in his power to help Lachlan Galvin become a better player during their time together. Picture: NRL Photos
Wests Tigers skipper Jarome Luai (right) says he did everything in his power to help Lachlan Galvin become a better player during their time together. Picture: NRL Photos

On Sunday, at Commbank Stadium, they will meet again but the Tigers insist revenge won’t be on their mind. Instead, Luai says there will be no special attention towards Galvin and even wished his former halves partner all the best.

“That’s not what it’s about bro,” Luai said.

“He’s made his call on his future. Everyone’s entitled to that. You know, he’s winning games of footy, he’s enjoying himself. “So good on him, all the best to him. That’s what I’m trying to trying to do for my team at the moment.

“I think he spoke about it already and said that there wasn’t any beef in the relationship, which is true. I did my best to try and make him a better footballer.

“We connected well and you know, we started the year off in great form, won some games. But like I just said before, he made a call on his future. “So all the best to him, bro. I’m just focused on my career.”

Luai insists that no-one at the club harbours any ill-will towards Galvin. Picture: Rohan Kelly
Luai insists that no-one at the club harbours any ill-will towards Galvin. Picture: Rohan Kelly

The Tigers have long since moved on. Luai and Latu Fainu have joined forces in the halves and on Wednesday, they added another name to the mix for next season - Queensland under 19s star Javon Andrews.

Andrews has been on the Gold Coast but his talent was plain for all to see when he was named man of the match in the under 19s State of Origin match earlier this year.

The young five-eighth will give Marshall another playmaking option next season. In the meantime, Luai and his teammates must find a way to upset one of the competition heavyweights and silence a player they know all too well.

The Bulldogs flexed their premiership muscle in a big win over Manly last weekend with Galvin - making his second start at halfback - playing a leading role.

“Lachie’s been going well,” Sukkar said.

“He’s a quality young player. As I said, we wish the best for him. As I said, we’re just focusing on ourselves. We haven’t even mentioned it this week.

“He’s the leader of their attack. They’re playing great footy off him. We’re going to go out there to shut him down and shut down the rest of the team.”

Easier said than done given the way Galvin and the Bulldogs are playing. Luai, who almost joined the Bulldogs himself before opting to sign with the Tigers, knows the threat posed as well as anyone.

The good news is that Luai is digging in for a fight, not just this weekend but for years to come. His contractual status - he has an option for 2027 and beyond - has been a source of consternation for Tigers fans but on Wednesday he defiantly insisted he wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’m staying, don’t worry,” Luai told reporters.

“[The option] is not gone, but when things get hard, people are expecting you to change. I’m not that type of guy. I’m here for the long run and I’m here to change this club around.”

There was a time when the Tigers hoped Galvin would do the same. By the end, his relationship with Luai appeared strained given the latter was one of the club captains and a staunch supporter of Marshall.

Could the lessons Luai taught Galvin come back to haunt the Tigers? Picture: Getty Images
Could the lessons Luai taught Galvin come back to haunt the Tigers? Picture: Getty Images

At one point as relations deteriorated, Luai posted a social media missive spruiking ‘Team First’, which was taken as a swipe at Galvin.

Luai, however, insisted on Wednesday that he did everything his power to help Galvin realise his potential. Those tips may now come back to haunt him and the club.

“That’s why I am here bro, that’s what I’ve sort of modeled my game around - doing what’s best for the team and making other players better,” Luai said.

“I thought I tried to do that in the preseason with Lach. Like I said, we had a good relationship, but he moved on. So all the best to him and his team.

“They scored a lot of points against a good Manly side. So his shape and his ability to play footy is something we need to look at in defense. It’s not just about Lachie.

“You have Burto (Matt Burton), you have Kiki (Viliame Kikau), you have Critta (Steve Crichton) out there. So they got a lot of strike.

“But I think they they got a lot of leg speed as well in the middle. You know, after the last couple of weeks, I think it’d just be satisfying to get a win, to be honest with you.”

If there was any residual bitterness or ill-will towards former teammate Lachlan Galvin at the Wests Tigers, it wasn’t on show on Wednesday. Not as former halves partner Jarome Luai and long-time teammate Tony Sukkar took centre stage and addressed their impending clash with their former teammate.

Galvin left the Tigers two months ago in a blaze of controversy, having launched legal action against the club amid claims of bullying. The Tigers dug in their heels for a while but eventually had no real choice.

The last thing coach Benji Marshall needed was a player within his ranks who was at odds with the club and some of his teammates. So the Tigers and Galvin went their separate ways.

On Sunday, at Commbank Stadium, they will meet again but the Tigers insist revenge won’t be on their mind. Instead, Luai says there will be no special attention towards Galvin and even wished his former halves partner all the best.

“That’s not what it’s about bro,” Luai said.

“He’s made his call on his future. Everyone’s entitled to that. You know, he’s winning games of footy, he’s enjoying himself. “So good on him, all the best to him. That’s what I’m trying to trying to do for my team at the moment.

“I think he spoke about it already and said that there wasn’t any beef in the relationship, which is true. I did my best to try and make him a better footballer.

“We connected well and you know, we started the year off in great form, won some games. But like I just said before, he made a call on his future. “So all the best to him, bro. I’m just focused on my career.”

The Tigers have long since moved on. Luai and Latu Fainu have joined forces in the halves and on Wednesday, they added another name to the mix for next season - Queensland under 19s star Javon Andrews.

Andrews has been on the Gold Coast but his talent was plain for all to see when he was named man of the match in the under 19s State of Origin match earlier this year.

The young five-eighth will give Marshall another playmaking option next season. In the meantime, Luai and his teammates must find a way to upset one of the competition heavyweights and silence a player they know all too well.

The Bulldogs flexed their premiership muscle in a big win over Manly last weekend with Galvin - making his second start at halfback - playing a leading role.

“Lachie’s been going well,” Sukkar said.

“He’s a quality young player. As I said, we wish the best for him. As I said, we’re just focusing on ourselves. We haven’t even mentioned it this week.

“He’s the leader of their attack. They’re playing great footy off him. We’re going to go out there to shut him down and shut down the rest of the team.”

Easier said than done given the way Galvin and the Bulldogs are playing. Luai, who almost joined the Bulldogs himself before opting to sign with the Tigers, knows the threat posed as well as anyone.

Their relationship appeared strained at the end given Luai was one of the club captains and a staunch supporter of Marshall.

At one point as relations deteriorated, he posted a social media missive spruiking ‘Team First’, which was taken as a swipe at Galvin.

Luai, however, insisted on Wednesday that he did everything his power to help Galvin realise his potential. Those tips may now come back to haunt him and the club.

“That’s why I am here bro, that’s what I’ve sort of modeled my game around - doing what’s best for the team and making other players better,” Luai said.

“I thought I tried to do that in the preseason with Lach. Like I said, we had a good relationship, but he moved on. So all the best to him and his team.

“They scored a lot of points against a good Manly side. So his shape and his ability to play footy is something we need to look at in defense. It’s not just about Lachie.

“You have Burto (Matt Burton), you have Kiki (Viliame Kikau), you have Critta (Steve Crichton) out there. So they got a lot of strike.

“But I think they they got a lot of leg speed as well in the middle. You know, after the last couple of weeks, I think it’d just be satisfying to get a win, to be honest with you.”

Originally published as Jarome Luai opens up on Lachlan Galvin’s Wests Tigers exit ahead of Bulldogs grudge match

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Original URL: https://www.thechronicle.com.au/sport/nrl/jarome-luai-opens-up-on-lachlan-galvins-wests-tigers-exit-ahead-of-bulldogs-grudge-match/news-story/4b69e144df226ea857feaf87277dbde7