By Dan Walsh
Ten days ago, Lachlan Galvin was vacillating on his Wests Tigers future, club powerbrokers scrambling to ease the teen star’s concerns after half-a-dozen release requests.
At Campbelltown Stadium on Sunday, the future suddenly didn’t look so bad.
After 1441 days, the west has finally been won by the Tigers, with the NRL’s youngest line-up chock-full of local talent and surviving a late flurry of Raiders tries to prevail 48-24, their first victory at Campbelltown in four years.
The Tigers have made a song and dance about finally capitalising on the talent and masses in the Macarthur region for some time now.
More funding and priority in the club’s strategic planning has been touted, though with its long-awaited stadium plan expected to land this week, the jury is still out on any extra games in Sydney’s south-west.
But the joint-venture’s long-suffering fans had reason to sing in the stands, with hometown hero Galvin one of four local juniors downing an out-of-sorts Raiders side that simply didn’t make the trip up the Hume Highway.
The Tigers moved off the foot of the NRL ladder with their first win at Campbelltown in four years.Credit: Getty Images
Not since June 2020, the same day Stephen Kearney was sacked as Warriors coach, have the Tigers prevailed in their south-western heartland.
Galvin was the star in his first game back from a hand injury, having committed his future to the club last week.
But the Campbelltown-born teenager had friends old and new alike as Jahream Bula, the Fainu brothers Samuela and Sione and tireless skipper Api Koroisau all shone bright.
Rookie winger and local product Luke Laulilii only found out on game day – 10 days after his 18th birthday – that he was making his NRL debut in place of Charlie Staines (out due to illness).
He was the 10th Tigers debutant this season, with the average age of Benji Marshall’s side clocking in at 23 years of age, three short of the NRL average.
It mattered nought. By the 10th minute, Laulilii had himself an NRL try, burrowing through a Raiders’ goal-line defence that moved slower than gridlocked Sydney traffic.
It was Galvin who started the Tigers rout in just the third minute. Ethan Strange had Canberra’s first points all but on the board only for Brent Naden to go all-in on the intercept and race 70 metres. Galvin then strode through a disjointed defensive line for a 12-point turnaround.
Twenty minutes later the Tigers could have easily led by 20 or 30. Only a couple of tight but correct Bunker calls, and two try-saving efforts on the Raiders’ goal line, kept them in it.
Adam Doueihi capped his comeback with an intercept try.Credit: Getty Images
Fainu was held up once before eventually stepping his way through three mediocre attempted tackles for an 18-0 lead.
Hudson Young – whose Origin axing was described as “disgraceful” by coach Ricky Stuart – had the Raiders on the board eventually by beating five defenders on his own, only to bomb the try by passing at the last second. A penalty goal right on half-time was Canberra’s only consolation.
After the break, the Tigers just marched right on. Galvin had his second, Bula got on the board and when Stefano Utoikamanu – who has a $4 million, five-year extension on the table – charged over, any thought of a Raiders revival should have been put to bed.
Second-half tries to Danny Levi, Nick Cotric, Kaeo Weekes and Strange, though, had the locals nervous.
Fittingly, it was Adam Doueihi, playing his first NRL game since his third ACL rupture, who ended the fightback, latching onto an intercept and racing 75 metres to score. The Tigers welcomed him with their second win on the trot, relegating Parramatta to last place on the ladder and finally, riding high in the west once again.
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