LeagueNews.co | Jason Patrick
Former Wests Tigers winger Sunia Turuva publicly apologized for mocking 19-year-old Lachie Galvin in a social media post.
He expressed regret for his actions and confirmed he patched things up with Galvin before the latter's recent transfer to the Canterbury Bulldogs.
Galvin signed a lucrative three-and-a-half-year deal valued at $750,000 per season after being released from his contract with the Tigers, despite previously rejecting an extension worth $6 million.
The move to Canterbury followed a tumultuous series of events involving Galvin and his management, who negotiated a non-disparagement clause to prevent him from discussing his exit amid allegations of bullying against the Tigers.
Central to these allegations were social media posts from Turuva and teammate Jarome Luai, which were interpreted as jabs at Galvin.
Luai shared a post featuring the words "team first," which many saw as a slight, while Turuva's post included an image of Galvin's locker accompanied by the music 'Here Comes The Money,' implying that Galvin was motivated by financial gain.
Reflecting on the situation ahead of the Tigers' upcoming match against Penrith, Turuva stated, "Looking back on it, I wouldn't have done the post in the first place.
I didn't think of what he was going through at the time." He acknowledged his actions contributed to a division among the team and expressed happiness for Galvin's new opportunity.
"For myself, I thought it was a joke, but looking back on it now, I've got to be a bigger person," he admitted.
The two players discussed the controversy in clear-the-air talks, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the club's well-being.
Turuva noted, "Just seeing where he's at now, I think it's a really good spot for him.
It's a really good spot for the club as well.
For us and for him, it's just good to move on now.
We're able to leave it in the past." This resolution comes amidst one of the biggest mid-season trades in the NRL, marking a significant moment in both players' careers.