Canterbury’s Lachlan Galvin gets the better of Jarome Luai in horror week for the Tigers
In what seems like an interminable week for the Wests Tigers, their previous five-eighth teams have been beaten by their current game.
Jarome Luai and Lachlan Galvin were not close at all when they wore the same colors, but no matter what, they connected them very much. Both make headlines, are better suited to the center role than halfback, and will leave Concord early in disgrace.
Luai became enraged for unknown reasons when asked about the Tigers’ legacy later in the week. Any chance of a final appearance was effectively eliminated by a 32-0 rout of Galvin-led Canterbury.
The Bulldogs held their opponents scoreless and did not concede a single line break. Viliame Kikau gave his team a scare when he came out early in his first match after suffering a chest injury in the eighth round, but later said he had no injury concerns.
This defeat, the Tigers’ 11th in a row at Accor Stadium, stung more than most. On a few occasions Luai touched the ball – there was little opportunity to do so given the Bulldogs’ significant possession advantage – to be met with some booing. It was unclear whether these came from Canterbury fans or his own.
Just a few years ago the Bulldogs came agonizingly close to securing Luai’s signature. This is the only Western Sydney club he won’t run from now.
“He went out and tried to do his job,” Tigers coach Benji Marshall said of Luai.
“Obviously the scoreboard got the better of us, so we were trying to catch our tail on the back end. But he was trying too hard.”
Meanwhile, Galvin’s hand or foot was obtained in four attempts. Jethro Rinakama was the main beneficiary, making two passes down the left wing. While it wasn’t a flawless performance – some of Galvin’s passes to the back rowers were hospital-style passes – he looked more comfortable with natural halfback Sean O’Sulivan in him.
O’Sullivan fired off two 40-20s and took control just a day after the team was inspired by a visit from the Bulldogs’ greatest halfback, Steve “Turvey” Mortimer. This made the decision to give him an early shower a surprising one. His performance will give Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo a welcome headache when Stephen Crichton returns from injury.
The Tigers looked more threatening when Latu Fainu, who was thought to be Luai’s replacement, came off the bench. He soon returned after spending 10 minutes in the sin bin for a clumsy tackle on Leo Thompson. The normally mild-mannered Alex Twal joined Jaeman Salmon after giving him a clear slap. Twal was lucky he wasn’t sent away at the sound of a siren after finding himself in another fight.
“What I like about Twaly is that he loves the club and is passionate,” Marshall said.
“He cares about the result. You don’t see frustrations from him very often. It’s probably a reflection of how a lot of us, as a club, feel at the moment.”
If Fainu and Adam Doueihi (who were also included in the high tackle report) are suspended, we will get a look at the young scrum-half talent the Tigers have available sooner than expected.
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