Tigers boss Shane Richardson called out over ‘hard to cop’ Benji claim in Galvin saga
The claim from Wests Tigers boss Shane Richardson that Lachlan Galvin never insulted Benji Marshall’s coaching ability has been rubbished.
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The claim from Wests Tigers boss Shane Richardson that wantaway No. 6 Lachlan Galvin never insulted Benji Marshall’s coaching ability has been called out.
The Tigers have endured a week from hell after Galvin knocked back a $5 million extension and said he’d be leaving the club.
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The 19-year-old dramatically claimed Marshall wasn’t the coach to take his game to the next level in a statement that was met with fierce blowback.
But Richardson defended both Galvin and Marshall in an extensive interview with The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.
“What he said to us is he wants to be the best player (he) can be and ‘I believe that I can be that at another club’,” Richardson said about Galvin.
“He’s never said (Marshall can’t coach). Lachlan is a very honest kid. He’s as simple as it gets. He loves his footy. If he were sitting here with you, he would be twirling the ball.
“He just loves his footy. He’s always had this thing in the back of his mind that he could obviously get a better opportunity elsewhere.
“The bottom line is though from that point of view, Lachlan has never said that in any way, shape or form (that Marshall can’t coach).”
The NRL 360 panel discussed Richardson’s comments and James Hooper said there was one element that was “a little bit hard to cop”.
“I think it’s a smart play from Richo, he’s an experienced administrator, he’s trying to show Lachlan a little bit of love after what was a brutal and extremely messy week,” Hooper said.
“The suggestion that Lachlan has never bagged Benji is a little bit hard to cop because speaking to a lot of people around the game, that seems to have been a common theme that has been confirmed by a number of people.
“I understand what Richo is trying to do and I applaud him for saying we’re not just going to roll over and we’re not just going to release Lachie because that has been a major sticking point with a lot of people.”
The panel were divided on whether the club should force Galvin to see out his contract which runs to the end of 2026. .
“If I’m the Wests Tigers, I’m looking for a win and what that win looks like, I’m not sure,” Michael Carayannis said.
“Isn’t it a win standing up for your club and standing up for the fact he’s got a contract?” Hooper responded.
“Contracts? They showed (David) Klemmer the door, they showed (John) Bateman the door, it works both ways so don’t talk about contracts because we know if a club wants to get rid of you they’ll just toss you out,” Carayannis hit back.
Originally published as Tigers boss Shane Richardson called out over ‘hard to cop’ Benji claim in Galvin saga
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