Richardson justified the trip by saying he was trying to shop players to Super League clubs to clear out the roster for a rebuild. No players that we are aware of went to England as a direct result of those conversations.
Former Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe was heavily criticised by sections of the media when he went on a family trip with his young children to the Northern Territory. News Corp has previously hammered any club boss taking time out during the year. Fox Sports chief league reporter James Hooper wrote of Pascoe at the time: “This bloke is supposedly the boss. Leadership? Not so much. There’s an off-season from October to March for annual leave and family holidays.”
Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson has left it to the club to handle the Lachlan Galvin fallout.Credit: Oscar Colman
The timing of Richardson’s absence from Tiger Town could not be worse, with the Galvin issue up in the air and legal action looming. Everyone is entitled to take leave, and he can work via a laptop, but he has been the self-appointed protector of the club.
The Tigers boss is under fire for how this has all played out. It certainly didn’t seem necessary to demand an answer from Galvin two weeks ago as he was under contract until the end of next year.
But maybe Richardson believed he could sign Galvin then go on holiday having saved the day? Surely, given the involvement of controversial manager Isaac Moses, Richardson knew that was a long shot?
Instead, even Richo’s supporters – which this columnist has been – are questioning the timing and manner of these negotiations.
Lachlan Galvin runs out for the Western Suburbs Magpies on Monday after being dropped to the NSW Cup.Credit: Max Mason-Hubers
Richardson has been on a charm offensive with some of his supporters in the media who won’t touch this story, but some of his messaging is difficult to swallow. The emotional issue has been the notion that Benji Marshall’s coaching is a reason Galvin does not want to stay at the club. That story was spread by the Tigers, not the Moses camp.
Richardson has been trying to muddy that fact through interviews, but it simply is not correct.
Not only does he risk losing the PR war by leaving the country at this point, Richardson is leaving the Tigers to fight this battle through Marshall and the players, as they don’t have an experienced media manager to handle one of the bigger storms to have engulfed the club in recent times. That is not to criticise the person they have wedged into the position from another area of their business.
Another problem is the media release the Tigers put out in response to the story broken by this masthead’s journalist Michael Chammas and myself that Galvin had rejected the club’s offer to keep him. That media release will be used by the Moses camp to explain the creation of the unsafe working environment they claim Galvin is in.
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He was ostracised from that moment, and frozen out by the playing group. It was already a developing situation behind the scenes, but from the moment the club officially confirmed the story, the anti-Galvin sentiment kicked in.
Richardson may also want to be careful with his words the next time he jumps on a podcast on the PR campaign. Eyebrows were raised when he told James Graham on The Bye Round that the Tigers spent six weeks finding “opportunities for him in the future, opportunities for him externally, opportunities for him around a deal done with a major car company, a whole range of things that we put in place to surround the deal”.
We’re not sure what he planned to “surround the deal” with, nor are we suggesting any wrongdoing, but we can tell you that clubs were left scratching their heads after that comment. The NRL was also made aware of it by people in the game.
Jackson Hastings has been a notable absentee in Newcastle this season.Credit: Getty Images
Player feud leaves Hastings on outer
Rugby league’s most exciting attacking weapon Kalyn Ponga is being stymied by a player feud that is making it impossible to pick one of the Knights’ big-name playmakers.
Newcastle’s stuttering attack is one of the talking points of the league, as is their persistent swapping of halves. An obvious solution to their problems, purely on the playing front, would be the selection of Jackson Hastings, who has previously helped bring Ponga to life.
However, Hastings appears to be the last person the Knights would pick to play first grade, and it has been difficult to work out why he is on the outer.
This column has been made aware of a falling out largely between one of the team’s leaders and Hastings. The matter relates to their wives not seeing eye to eye over a comment Hastings’ partner made. As a consequence, the player has told people at the club of his feelings and the club has backed one of their most respected players.
Kalyn Ponga and the Knights have struggled recently.Credit: Getty Images
The club has knowledge of the dispute but says that is not why Hastings is being left out of the team.
That is difficult to accept given the halves crisis.
There have been other minor issues with Hastings, but it seems that one is the most difficult for the club to overcome. The result is the Knights’ best halfback, who is paid about $800,000 this year, has not been given a chance in the top grade by coach Adam O’Brien.
It’s an ugly situation and this column is not aware of attempts to resolve it, but if the Knights’ season continues to spiral out of control, and they continue to struggle to score points, it may have to be addressed. Especially now it is in the public domain.
There are also growing concerns about Hastings’ welfare. Expect this to become an issue.
This column has been told that a handful of players have made the case for Hastings to be selected, to put the team first before personality clashes.
This column is aware that Hastings has had issues at other clubs. I also have not been told exactly what happened between the players’ partners, so I can’t comment on whether the matter can be resolved. But we do know Hastings isn’t being selected, and the impact it’s having on the team.
Not many people outside the Knights are aware of this issue, and it was interesting to hear the club’s greatest player, Andrew Johns, calling for Hastings to be reinstated to the first grade side.
I assume Johns is not aware of the issue, but he made the following comments in a Sydney Morning Herald subscribers newsletter about the Knights and Hastings.
“Whatever faults he’s got as a player, Jackson will get them around the field,” Johns said. “His kicking game is up there with one of the best. I don’t know what’s happened there, but I don’t see Tyson Gamble as a halfback. He’s a good club five-eighth, but I don’t see him as a week in, week out halfback option.”
When asked about potential issues with senior players, Johns said: “For the good of the team, you have to put that aside. That’s a job of whoever is within the club. Whether it’s the CEO or someone else, you’ve got to get them all together and sort it out. The attack has been dull and they haven’t looked like penetrating defences.
“Everyone knows if Kalyn isn’t firing, then the Knights are pretty easy to handle.”
Is Mestrov looking to get out?
The fallout from Daly Cherry-Evans’ decision to walk away from Manly at the end of the season may not be over. There have been whispers that club chief executive Tony Mestrov has been making quiet inquiries about potential job opportunities elsewhere.
Is Manly boss Tony Mestrov on the move?Credit: James Brickwood
This talk is known throughout the NRL, but Mestrov will deny it. Those close to Mestrov say he has been sounded out about jobs – not the other way around.
Previously, this column asked club owner Scott Penn about Mestrov’s future at the Sea Eagles after the Cherry-Evans decision, and Penn was happy to say Mestrov is a big part of Manly’s plans. It remains to be seen if he is there for the long haul.
Newton dragged into Galvin saga
The boss of the Rugby League Players’ Association, Clint Newton, has been heavily trolled by Tigers fans in the past week because of a comment on Fox Sports about his relationship with manager Isaac Moses. The inference was that Newton and Moses were close, and that led to all manner of comments online implying that somehow Newton was managed by Moses.
The league public has become unhinged about Moses due to the Lachlan Gavin situation. Anyone who speaks to the agent is heavily criticised, even if it is part of a natural work process.
Controversial agent Isaac Moses.Credit: Ben Symons
Newton received a generous correction by Fox. Not that the trolls will take notice of the truth.
When it comes to Newton being managed by Moses, that is totally untrue. In fact, during his playing career, Newton was assisted at times by his dad, Jack, the famous golfer. In return, Clint would give his dad a couple of cartons of cigarettes and buy him a few of his favourite drinks for helping him negotiate a deal.
As the boss of the RLPA, Newton doesn’t need an agent. His relationship with Moses is similar to that he would have with any player agent he deals with.
This columnist has also been labelled a Moses mouthpiece by ill-informed trolls and some angry Tigers officials because we have dared to seek the views of the Galvin camp. Trying to negotiate an emotive story such as this by only seeking the Tigers’ viewpoint would be unacceptable and unfair.
If anyone cared to research this column’s history with Moses, they would see that no journalist has been more vigilant in calling him out when it was necessary. In this instance, Moses has been looking after exactly what his client wants and protecting him from the fallout in the best way he can.
Has every step he has taken been the right one? Absolutely not. But when it comes to Gavin, it is unfair to heap all the criticism on Moses when he is carrying out what his client wants and what the family of his client wants.
Delighted Brisbane players celebrate a try in their rout of the Bulldogs on Thursday night.Credit: Getty Images
Madge’s record not half bad
Michael Maguire’s many critics – often in Tiger Town – can say whatever they want about his coaching, but it is difficult to question his ability to get a team up for a big occasion.
He has now coached two of the best halves of football in recent memory. Brisbane’s shutout of the Bulldogs in the first half on Thursday night, when they scored 34 points against a defence that is the best in the league, was quite remarkable.
And don’t forget the first half the Blues executed last year against Queensland in Melbourne when they annihilated the Maroons to lead 34-0 at the break in one of the great State of Origin performances.
Maguire has been dealing with some sniping in the background because the Broncos have not been at their best all season, but they saved their finest 40 minutes for the highly impressive Bulldogs, who have had their best start to a season in modern history.
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Billy’s not silly
Billy Slater is one of the smartest analysts in the game, and he’s also quick to work on any weaknesses. But he was totally outmanoeuvred, particularly in the media, by then NSW coach Michael Maguire during last year’s Origin series, and he has taken steps to rectify that.
It came to this column’s attention that he recently sat in the media box during a game in Queensland and was engaging with journalists during the match. The local media pack complained quietly last year of the inaccessibility of Slater and the inability to communicate with him in a manner they wanted.
It seems Slater is immersing himself in the Queensland media. It’s a smart move.
New Blues coach Laurie Daley is widely popular with the majority of the NSW media, so he doesn’t need to press the flesh in that sense, but he’s up against Slater, who is a perfectionist and a smart operator with fire in his belly. It’s going to be fascinating to see how each man handles the pressure.
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