The Wests Tigers face a challenge in maintaining their recent winning streak as rising star Lachie Galvin has been handed a two-game suspension for a hip-drop tackle he made against Parramatta.
Despite his key role in the team’s upset win on Easter Monday, Galvin’s tackle on Kelma Tuilagi led to his sin-binning in the second half. The tackle, initially unnoticed, was later detected during a Parramatta captain’s challenge, resulting in Galvin’s citation for grade-three dangerous contact.
With an early guilty plea, Galvin will miss matches against the Dolphins and St. George Illawarra. The Tigers may turn to Jayden Sullivan to fill the gap in the starting lineup, with highly-rated Latu Fainu potentially making his NRL debut off the bench in round five.
Galvin’s suspension follows a similar incident involving Dolphins’ Max Plath, but Tigers coach Benji Marshall believes Galvin’s tackle was not as severe.
Despite the setback, the Tigers showed resilience in Galvin’s absence, securing a crucial win over the Eels. Galvin played a pivotal role in setting up Jahream Bula’s try that regained Wests’ lead, ultimately leading to a victory sealed by Aidan Sezer’s late field goal. This win marks the Tigers’ second triumph in three games this season.
