Lachlan Galvin's rapid rise has given the next wave of Wests Tigers cubs fresh belief they too can crack it in the NRL.
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Galvin will play his first home NRL game at Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday against Brisbane, in the same suburb where he grew up as a youngster in Leumeah.
Unheard of by most NRL fans for the majority of the off-season, Galvin has become the breakout star of 2024 and one of the reasons for long-term hope at Wests.
But the player himself is adamant he's only just the start of the next wave of talent at the NRL club through its south-west junior program.
Galvin won the U17's Harold Matthews Cup with Western Suburbs in 2022, alongside the likes of Heath Mason, Tallyn Da Silva, Jordan Miller, Kit Laulilii and Luke Laulilii.
Da Silva and Kit Laulilii both debuted in the NRL last season for the Tigers, while the rest remain as highly heralded talents in the club's top squad or feeder program.
With Galvin impressing in first grade, the dream of becoming more permanent fixtures suddenly appears more likely.
"It 100 per cent has given me that belief," Da Silva told AAP.
"Once all the younger boys get in there and get a bit more confidence and a few games under our belt, I think we just go back to the Harold Matts days."
Opponents in local leagues from age eight, the majority of the Campbelltown-based talent have played representative football together since under-14s.
Like Galvin, Da Silva believes the Tigers can reap similar rewards if they keep juniors together, with Wests also facing the Warriors in this year's Harold Matthews Cup final this Saturday.
"After five or six years of playing together, you know exactly how the other person plays," Da Silva said.
"If you ask me how I think Kit or Lachy plays, I can tell you their style inside and out. You build little combinations off that and it helps so much."
Galvin himself is the first to admit he too is surprised by how quick he has taken to the NRL, while still learning how to deal with the hype around his first month.
The 18-year-old's rapid rise is summed up by the fact his last game at Campbelltown was in juniors last year, and he had never played anything beyond U19s until this season.
"It's obviously harder, but I don't think about it much," Galvin said.
"I love playing rugby league. That's all I've ever wanted to do in my life. I just go out there and have so much fun, and love playing it.
"I know they're obviously bigger boys and they're NRL players. But it's just a game of footy at the end of the day. And I've been playing it for 12 years."
Australian Associated Press
