Wests Tigers five-eighth Lachlan Galvin has shocked the NRL with his decision to leave the club at the end of next season.
The 19-year-old prodigy has no shortage of suitors, with NRL clubs lining up around the corner to sign the once-in-a-generation talent.
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Galvin’s huge call to knock back the Tigers’ $5 million offer and Daly Cherry-Evans’ decision to leave Manly will have a far-reaching impact on the NRL’s halves market.
It’s uncommon for a club to lose such a prized talent so young, but Galvin’s move isn’t unprecedented in the NRL – or at the Tigers.
He follows in the footsteps of halves Mitchell Moses and Luke Brookes who both left the Tigers in pursuit of greener pastures.
Galvin is arguably the most talented teenager since Johnathan Thurston who made his own high-profile move at age 21.
After playing off the bench in the 2004 grand final for the triumphant Bulldogs, Thurston left for the Cowboys and was back in the decider the following year.
In 2015, Thurston’s big move was finally vindicated when he kicked a golden point field goal in the grand final against the Broncos to deliver the Cowboys their first NRL title.
Here foxsports.com.au looks at the potential landing spots for Lachlan Galvin in 2027.
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BULLDOGS
Canterbury general manager Phil Gould has previously declared Galvin the best teenage footballer he’s ever seen and the Bulldogs are in the market for a half.
“Lachlan Galvin will earn more money out of rugby league than any player in history,” Gould said in August.
“That is going to be my prediction. I think he’s the best teenage footballer I’ve ever seen. I think what he is doing is absolutely extraordinary.”
Gould claims the Bulldogs aren’t interested in pursuing Cherry-Evans, but take that with a grain of salt from rugby league’s master manipulator of the media.
The most telling sign that Gould is very much on the lookout for a half is the fact he won’t entertain extension talks with their current and off-contract halfback Toby Sexton.
EELS
Galvin was devastated when the club he grew up idolising and started his junior career at didn’t offer him a contract, so he took his services to the Tigers where he has exploded onto the NRL.
But Parramatta now have a war chest after losing Dylan Brown to the Knights and Galvin would form one of the most formidable halves combinations in the NRL alongside Mitchell Moses.
Moses is also in a unique position to influence Galvin as he was in the exact same situation in 2017 as a highly-touted 22-year-old Tigers half.
The current NSW halfback famously left the for the Eels and he was vindicated when his new club made the 2022 grand final while Tigers’ struggles continued.
The Eels are rebuilding under rookie coach Jason Ryles but if they can continue to make improvements they could be a genuine contender in time for Galvin’s arrival in 2027.
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SEA EAGLES
When one door closes in rugby league, it’s usually not long before another opens.
Daly Cherry-Evans will depart the Sea Eagles at the end of the season as the club only had the salary cap space to offer him around $750,000 per season.
Galvin is chasing north of $1 million per season which means the Sea Eagles would have to likely release someone who’s on a decent wicket.
Manly front-rower Jake Tribojevic is in a form slump and he’s already facing a major pay cut on his next deal. It would be a brutal call, but most Manly fans would take Galvin over Trbojevic at this stage of their respective careers.
Galvin would combine in the halves at Manly with Luke Brooks who is also in a unique position to offer advice having spent a decade as the Tigers whipping boy.
ROOSTERS
The Chooks have made no secret of their pursuit of Daly Cherry-Evans, but if they miss out on the veteran halfback they could turn their attention to Galvin.
Yes, they’ve already got some exciting young halves on their books but Galvin is a once-in-a-generation talent that could set the club up for the next decade.
Galvin would link up in the halves with another former teen prodigy, Sam Walker, and form a combination that would take the Roosters straight back into premiership contention.
Galvin’s manager has been telling journalists that Galvin’s decision is going to be about coaching rather than money.
Trent Robinson is one of two coaches on this list to have won multiple premierships, while the Roosters could also play their recruiting trump card of providing business connections like no other club.
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RABBITOHS
If it’s true that Galvin wants a quality coach over buckets of cash then the Rabbitohs should be in the box seat to sign him.
Wayne Bennett is one of the greatest coaches of all time and his return to Souths this season has immediately made them contenders again, despite finishing second-last in 2024.
Bennett is desperate to become the first coach in history to win premierships at three clubs and Galvin could be the final piece to the puzzle.
Veteran five-eighth Cody Walker is 35 and next to no chance of still playing in 2027, which means the timing is perfect.
Souths journeyman Jamie Humphries has proved a revelation at halfback this season if he continues to improve his game management, he could combine superbly with Galvin.
DRAGONS
The current No. 6 is the coach’s son, but Kyle Flanagan can also play halfback and the Dragons are in desperate need of a bona fide star in the halves
Shane Flanagan has won a premiership and is highly respected in the playing ranks, which would appeal to Galvin.
The Red V would also likely have the money with nobody in their squad currently on huge cash weighing down the cap.
But they have an ageing roster which Galvin, who is determined to go to a club that can win a premiership, will undoubtedly take into consideration.
DOLPHINS
Cherry-Evans has also been linked with a return to his boyhood club but if the Roosters get their man then Galvin is the Dolphins’ obvious next target.
Dolphins half Isaiya Katoa is a rising superstar and alongside Galvin they would become the NRL’s most exciting young halves pairing in a generation.
There’s no shortage of cash at Redcliffe but whether Galvin, who still lives at home with his parents, would be willing to move interstate seems unlikely.
Kristian Woolf is also a rookie coach struggling to step out of the enormous shadow cast by Wayne Bennett and Galvin may not see him as the man to take his game to the next level.
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