The mail is getting stronger by the day the Wests Tigers are poised to table young gun local junior Lachlan Galvin a five-year deal valued at around the $5 million mark.
Whether Galvin accepts the deal remains to be seen but the Tigers have to be in there taking a swing.
If you look at Tigers CEO Shane Richardson’s track record of getting deals done over the years he kept John Sutton at Souths, Adam Reynolds at Souths (until the end) and brought Sam Burgess over from England to help win the 2014 premiership.
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Richardson understands as well as anyone the importance of trying to retain the Eagle Vale St Andrews junior who won a Harold Matthews premiership with Wests Magpies in 2022.
The Wests Tigers can’t afford to let themselves be ripped apart like they were nine years ago when local juniors James Tedesco, Mitch Moses and Aaron Woods all ended up departing the club at the end of 2017.
The Tigers haven’t featured in the finals since 2011 and Galvin and Tallyn Da Silva are clearly the future of the club.
As much as the money might seem overs for a 25-game NRL rookie the Wests Tigers can’t afford to get used as a doormat for the stronger clubs anymore.
If Galvin baulks or stalls on the offer then there’s every chance he’s going to the open market on November 1.
If not the Tigers have done an outstanding job to retain the local junior.
Ironically the agent who runs the company which looks after Tedesco, Moses and Woods – Isaac Moses – also has eyes over the Galvin negotiation.
Cronk: Lomax ‘showing why he’s a winger’ | 01:36
UNEASY TRUCE IN DCE SAGA BEFORE EXIT CALL
The DCE-Manly Sea Eagles war seems to have declared an uneasy truce for the time being with Manly bunkered down ahead of the return bout of the Battle of Brookvale against Melbourne.
What quickly descended into a very murky game of pool has now been parked with the only question remaining where will DCE land for next season?
Plenty of people will tell you they still believe the Sydney Roosters are one-out, one-back given kingpin Nick Politis’s track record at getting the big deals done.
DCE doesn’t seem like he’s in any rush to make a decision with a looming State of Origin series only just around the corner.
In the fullness of time we might end up getting the full story but from an outside point of view it looks like there’s been mistakes made on both sides.
Arrow: “I’m licking my lips” | 00:51
YEO’S FEAT REMARKABLE GIVEN PANTHERS HONOUR ROLL
You’ve got to admire Penrith captain Isaah Yeo becoming the first Panther to reach the 250-game milestone.
This is at a club that’s got an honour roll of names including Greg Alexander, Craig Gower, Brad Fittler, Royce Simmons, John Cartwright and Mark Geyer dating all the way back to 1967.
What’s equally as impressive is the way Yeo has transformed his game since debuting as a centre in 2014.
The Panthers lock even played one game on the wing in his debut season in the NRL 12 years ago.
Yeo actually spent the first six years of his career playing in the centres and then the second row before moving to lock at the beginning of 2020.
And that’s when the Panthers began their charge towards five straight grand finals and four straight premierships.
There’s a strong argument Yeo is just as important to the Panthers as Nathan Cleary.
Haas on verge of defecting to Samoa | 01:02
TEEN’S DREAM START LEAVES GREAT IN AWE
Talk about some entrance. Warriors rookie Leka Halasima made as good of an impression as you’ll see with a combination of brute strength, speed and swerve to score the first try of his NRL career in round four.
The scorching 55m match-winner against Wests Tigers broke the Tigers hearts but had champion Balmain, NSW and Australian front rower Steve “Blocker” Roach in awe.
“Mate I’ve watched a lot of footy over the years and I’ve never seen a 19-year-old score a try like that,” Roach said.
“I’m a huge admirer of all the great backrowers over the years from Gorden Tallis to Sonny Bill Williams – not many of them would have been able to do what this young bloke did.”
Is everyone on the same sin-bin page? | 02:34
WHY THIS WEEKEND WILL BE PERSONAL FOR MADGE
The competitor in Broncos coach Michael Maguire will have had the Wests Tigers game circled on the calendar given the way the club treated him during his 80-game tenure at the joint.
As much as the Tigers have improved out of sight since Shane Richardson took over as CEO the sins of the previous administration still haven’t been forgotten.
The low point for Maguire must have been being rail-roaded into the ill-fated Tales from Tiger Town documentary which there’s no question painted the club in a difficult light.
Madge would have never agreed to throwing the doors open like that but to his credit he handled it and rebuilt his career through the Canberra Raiders, the Kiwi Test team and the NSW State of Origin side.
Winning last year’s Origin series after trailing 1-0 will forever be part of Blues Origin folklore.
Ultimately Madge has landed on his feet at Brisbane where there’s no doubt with the addition of Ben Hunt this season the Broncos are right in the title race.
Madge has got too much class to sledge the Wests Tigers but he’ll be busting to get one over his former club on Super Saturday.
Maguire and Tigers boss Richardson were also coach and CEO when South Sydney smashed a 43-season premiership drought in 2014.
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