The Wests Tigers face the challenge of maintaining their winning streak without their standout player, Lachie Galvin, who has been suspended for two games due to a hip-drop tackle against Parramatta.
Galvin played a crucial role in the team’s narrow 17-16 victory on Easter Monday but was penalized with a sin bin stint in the second half for his tackle on Eels’ Kelma Tuilagi.
The tackle was only noticed during a captain’s challenge by Parramatta for an unrelated incident, and Tuilagi managed to continue playing after Galvin was sent off.
The match review committee acted swiftly, issuing a charge against the 18-year-old for a grade-three dangerous contact offense on the same night as the game, which is unusual timing.
With an early guilty plea, Galvin will miss matches against the Dolphins and St George Illawarra, with a potential risk of sitting out a third game against Penrith if he chooses to contest the charge.
Jayden Sullivan, who has started the season on the bench but previously played in the halves, is expected to fill Galvin’s spot in the starting lineup.
This situation may open the door for Latu Fainu, a promising playmaker, to make his NRL debut off the bench in the upcoming round five match.
The incident involving Galvin comes shortly after Dolphins’ Max Plath also received a two-game ban for a similar tackle, although Tigers coach Benji Marshall believes Galvin’s tackle wasn’t as severe.
Despite Galvin’s absence, the Tigers showed resilience, maintaining their lead against the Eels while he was off the field. Galvin even assisted in setting up a crucial try upon his return before Aidan Sezer’s late field goal secured the team’s second victory of the season out of three games played.