Wests Tigers boss exposes ‘significant tension’ between Benji and player agent

The chief executive officer of the Tigers, Shane Richardson, has acknowledged a significant level of antagonism existing between coach Benji Marshall and player agent Isaac Moses during the ongoing fallout concerning Lachlan Galvin’s predicament.

The tension between Marshall and Moses has emerged as a key factor in Galvin’s desire to part ways with the Tigers.

Moses has witnessed several players leave the club while Marshall has been at the helm, with notable recent departures including John Bateman and David Klemmer. Now, Galvin has turned down a lucrative contract extension.

The saga surrounding Galvin has been characterised as “Benji versus Moses”, and Richardson has provided insight into the strained relationship between the two.

“There is undoubtedly a significant amount of antagonism between Isaac and Benji,” he remarked on The Bye Round podcast.

“I’ve been aware of it, so it’s not particularly surprising, but I prefer not to comment; that matter is between them.

“My role is to mediate and engage with both parties. I have successfully navigated business matters with Moses before, and ultimately, I can handle those discussions independently from Benji and Moses, who do not interact with each other.”

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Galvin, who has a contract until the end of 2026, may become the next player represented by Moses to exit the club. Attention has also shifted to superstar fullback Jahream Bula, who is also under Moses’ management.

Richardson expressed confidence that Bula would not leave.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about that. It’s a different situation with a different player. While it’s an enticing story, we must refrain from jumping to conclusions,” he said.

This speculation has reignited discussions regarding the November 1 deadline.

As players frequently sign with other clubs early in the season prior to their departure, frustration over the absence of transfer windows persists.

Richardson labelled the current situation as “an absolute disgrace”.

“I’ve been vocal about this for years; it’s a complete joke that we don’t have a transfer window,” he stated.

“Implementing a transfer window would resolve most of these challenges and, quite frankly, I cannot grasp why it is not in place. Transfer windows exist in football worldwide, including the NFL and AFL, yet we lack such a system here. It’s absurd.”

“Player managers are indifferent about moving players mid-season and disregarding the impacts on players’ families… When we finally establish a proper transfer window, we won’t stop the underlying activities from occurring, but at least we will know when it’s going to happen.”