Sunia ­Turuva crosses line as Lachlan Galvin bites Wests Tigers

Sunia Turuva’s emotions boiled over spectacularly in the wake of the Lachlan Galvin contract saga, but the question remains: how long can Benji Marshall keep the young playmaker out of the team?

Wests Tigers winger Sunia ­Turuva crossed the line on Monday.

Five days ago, coach Benji Marshall said he wasn’t sure if Turuva’s social media post that took a dig at besieged youngster Lachlan Galvin had taken things too far.

There were no doubts at CommBank Stadium against the Eels when Turuva’s emotions boiled over spectacularly in the wake of the club’s messy contract saga with Galvin.

Turuva had a running battle with Parramatta winger Sean Russell, who was getting under the skin of the Tigers flyer.

He was then sin-binned for grabbing Eels hooker Ryley Smith and slamming him to the ground in a second-half brain explosion.

Turuva wasn’t done. He threw verbal barbs at Russell as he made his way to the tunnel.

Sunia Turuva and Sean Russell exchange words. Picture: NRL Photos

Last week, Turuva posted on social media a photo of Galvin’s locker with the song Here Comes The Money.

Galvin had just refused to entertain a contract extension with the Tigers and said he would quit the club in 2026.

Turuva’s dig at Galvin was seen by many as bullying, but not by Marshall.

When asked if Turuva had taken it too far last week, Marshall said: “Crossing the line? I don’t know. I think it was an emotional response, again, to something as a teammate.”

Turuva was emotional again yesterday and it was costly.

Co-captain Jarome Luai also found himself at the centre of the messy saga after he made a “Team First” social media post aimed at Galvin.

It left all eyes on the four-time premiership winner yesterday wanting to see if he could inspire the Tigers to victory without the club’s best five-eighth in Galvin.

“It’s time for Jarome Luai to stand up for his football team,” Cooper Cronk said in commentary when the Tigers had their backs against the wall in the second half.

Instead, Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses, on his ­return from a foot injury, delivered a captain’s knock to inspire his side to a 38-22 win.

The loss inevitably puts the spotlight back on Marshall’s call to relegate Galvin to reserve grade this week.

It also raises the question as to how long Galvin can remain on the outer when two competition points are at stake each week.

Luai has positioned himself as a key figure in the club’s revamped culture in which playing for your coach and teammates comes before anything else.

Recalling Galvin to the NRL for next week’s clash against Cronulla at Leichhardt Oval will be doing exactly that for the Tigers.

He might not see a future at the Concord club but right now, in the present, the Tigers are a ­better, more competitive team with him in it.

Originally published as Sunia ­Turuva crosses line as Lachlan Galvin bites Wests Tigers