‘I don’t think Lachie’s was as bad’: Lachlan Galvin facing suspension for hip-drop tackle after leading Wests Tigers to famous win

Lachlan Galvin’s stunning second-half performance has been soured with the Wests Tigers rookie facing up to a three-match ban for a hip-drop tackle during his side’s epic 17-16 win over Parramatta on Easter Monday.

The teenager was hit with a grade 3 dangerous contact charge for a tackle on Kelma Tuilagi and was sent to the sin bin nine minutes into the second half.

The Eels only added two points while he was off the field, with the five-eighth returning with a point to prove as he sliced through and linked up with Jahream Bula to put his side in front with 12 minutes remaining before a wild finish to the contest.

Galvin can accept a two-game ban if he takes the early guilty plea, with the NRL releasing the charge just hours after Monday’s memorable win.

The tackle came two days after Dolphins forward Max Plath was offered 2-3 matches for a tackle that appeared to be much worse.

“I saw the Max Plath one and it got a couple of weeks. If that’s anything to go off, I don’t think Lachie’s was as bad as that. But I didn’t see it closely enough, hopefully he gets no weeks,” Tigers coach Benji Marshall said before the charge came out.

It’s a disappointing blow for Galvin who has been outstanding in his three games and has helped the Tigers already win half as many games as they did in 2023.

Latu Fainu, 18, is a chance to make his debut against the Dolphins if Galvin is suspended, while Jayden Sullivan could also return to the starting side.

While the Tigers were thrilled with the win, the Eels were left to rue 13 handling errors that hurt them dearly despite strong performances from skipper Clint Gutherson and Blaize Talagi, who handled the move to five-eighth well.

Despite the errors, the Eels had the chance to win the game after siren after they awarded a penalty from the restart, but Gutherson’s attempt from 36 metres out hooked to the left.

“We had plenty of ball and plenty of field position, but I felt like we chased a soft win,” Eels coach Brad Arthur said.

“The last couple of weeks, we’ve built our game on being tough and rolling our sleeves up, but I don’t know if we wanted to do that as much as they did today.

“We need to understand that every game matters. Every point for and against us matters, and until we learn that every game matters, that might happen.”