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Tigers‘ young five-eighth Lachlan Galvin has been hit with a two-match ban after he was sin-binned against the Eels for an ugly hip drop but league legend Phil Gould believes he was “unlucky”.
The teenager starred for his side in their win but produced one forgettable moment with his tackle on Kelma Tuilagi as the Eels second-rower left the field before eventually returning.
Footage captured Galvin looking concerned after the incident before he was given his marching orders.
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“Poor bugger, I don’t think he meant to do that … unfortunately it’s all the indicators of a hip drop,” Mick Ennis said on Fox League.
“Such a shame, it really is.”
The incident wasn’t originally picked up but a captain’s challenge from a separate part of the play put the tackle under scrutiny.
Galvin’s tackle was ruled grade three dangerous contact with the match review committee handing down a two-match ban if he pleads guilty. If he appeals he could face three matches.
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Gould doesn’t think the hip drop was the traditional form of the tackle.
”I don’t know, I found it to be very unfortunate for him, it’s not your normal hip drop,” he said on Nine’s 100% Footy.
“It’s close to the line and he just fell on the back of the legs there … he wasn’t running anywhere, he didn’t even have the ball.”
NRL great Paul Gallen didn’t agree, describing it as “the definition of a hip drop”.
“He lost his feet and dropped his hip on the back of his legs,” he said.
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Galvin’s departure came in the 49th minute with the Eels’ penalty goal from the incident the only points conceded during his time off the field.
Dolphins lock Max Plath was sin-binned for a similar tackle on Saturday against the Titans and received a two-week ban.
Despite both incidents being defined as hip drops, Tigers coach Benji Marshall didn’t believe Galvin’s was as bad.
“We just don’t know how it’s going to go with those things … we saw the Max Plath one where he got a couple of weeks so 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,” he said before the match review committee’s decision.
“Hopefully he gets no weeks.”
