The timing of Shane Richardson’s attempt to bring the Lachie Galvin situation to a head has been widely condemned. Now we may be able to shed light on his haste to get a contract decision out of the 19-year-old.

Richardson has flown to the United States on a family holiday and will miss the next two Tigers games. That includes Sunday’s clash with the Sharks at Leichhardt, where Galvin will run out in the top grade for the first time since it was revealed he wanted out of the club.

The experienced club boss says even though the Tigers are going through a crisis “it’s business as usual”.

Richardson has a wedding to attend, but a vacation in the middle of the season is unusual for a club boss. The rival clubs I spoke to agreed with that notion. Particularly when you’re dealing with the biggest story in the game.

“It’s my niece’s wedding,” Richardson said. “I only have one brother and two nieces. I had it booked since September last year. The board has been aware since then. It is business as usual. The board has no problems. Family first.”

It’s difficult to argue with the decision to prioritise family, but the timing is unfortunate.

Lachlan Galvin trains with his first-grade teammates on Friday.Credit: Louie Douvis

Galvin knocked back a $5.5 million, six-year extension offer that prompted the Tigers to announce his exit at the end of 2026. The Tigers released an extraordinary statement, declaring Galvin would not be with the club beyond 2026, but that he is expected to see out the final 18 months of his contract.

It’s not the first time Richardson has departed mid-season. Last May, he spent weeks in England allegedly, and bizarrely, trying to offer his own players to Super League clubs. Richardson has spent plenty of time in England during his career and visited several clubs on the trip.

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........

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