NRL 2024: Lachlan Galvin’s emotional reunion with Parramatta Eels after childhood snubbing
Lachlan Galvin owned every Parramatta jersey since the day he was born. This Monday, the Wests Tigers’ newest star will have an emotional reunion with the club that rejected his love.
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James Galvin has been a Parramatta fan all his life.
Grew up worshipping at the altar of Eels legend Ray Price. Even went to a couple of grand finals in the early 1980s with his own father during the club’s halcyon days.
Blue and gold has been in the Galvin blood for as long as anyone can remember.
At least, it was.
On Monday afternoon at Commbank Stadium, the Galvin clan will cast aside decades of loyalty to the Eels to worship at the altar of Benji Marshall and the Wests Tigers, the club where 18-year-old Lachlan Galvin has quickly become a key figure under the new regime.
Lachlan was a rabid Eels fan himself but his footy career – and subsequent allegiances – took a dramatic twist a few years back when Parramatta decided he wasn’t part of their plans.
Galvin had just started high school at the time and, as James’ remembers it, one coach had the temerity to suggest there were 13 positions on the field and he couldn’t find one for Lachlan.
With that, the decision was made.
Galvin packed up his bags and went back to his local area – he was originally a Campbelltown junior before moving to Wentworthville and then playing in the Eels junior representative sides.
“He was a one-eyed Parramatta man,” James said of his son.
“We were all Parramatta. He had every jersey since he was born. We were staunch Parramatta men. They didn’t want him.
“I just don’t think they thought he was any good.
“I know one development coach did say to him one day when he was under 13 or 14, there are 13 positions on a football field and I can’t get you in one.
“He was upset. I remember having that conversation. Lachie said, ‘I am not going back’. Everyone gets told that they should move on.
“I remember (Eels legend) Nathan Hindmarsh saying one day he trialled with St George Illawarra and they didn’t want him.”
The Tigers didn’t muck around.
Manly assistant coach Wayne Lambkin was a coach at Westfields Sports High at the time, the school Galvin attended with Eels five-eighth Blaize Talagi, who he will play against on Monday.
As word filtered through that Galvin was looking for a new home, Lambkin picked up the phone and contacted former Tigers recruitment boss Warren McDonnell.
“Lachie’s dad was a bit upset with Parra – he wasn’t getting much of a game there,” Lambkin said.
“I said to Macca, ‘Listen, we have a kid who lives in the Wests area and he wants to come back, I would grab him if I was you’.
“Macca jumped on it straight away and took my advice, and they got him across. He just wanted to go back in the area and play with his mates.
“I think once he made his mind up that he was out of Parra, he was happy to get back and play with Wests. He was a 16-year-old kid and he just wanted to play footy.
“He wasn’t getting the time on the field at Parra. He had to look to somewhere where he was going to be that starting player.”
The switch has been the making of Galvin and on Monday he will get the opportunity to show Parramatta the errors of their ways as part of the Tigers side that has made a promising start to the year after a decade of disappointment.
Marshall vowed to reward players who made their mark in the pre-season, and few made an impression as big as Galvin.
He stunned his older and more experienced teammates with his work in the fitness drills – not that anyone close to him was surprised.
Galvin is a zealot about his fitness – always has been, likely always will be.
“He would get excited when I did 2km time trials,” Lambkin said.
“He would try to beat everyone by a mile. All the other kids would be like, ‘Oh no, not pre-season again’. He would be excited to do it.
“He would run all day. He was a fit kid. He would look after himself. He has always been a real footy head. He loves it. He lives and breathes it.
“He would still be watching every game of football on the tele and doing the normal things with his mates. He would be doing nothing different.
“They are a pretty level-headed family. They are a down-to-earth people.”
Galvin was fortunate to have a training partner who tested his limits – his brother Matthew is an emerging rugby league referee.
“He is a great trainer,” James said.
“I have to say that his brother …. he is fitter than Lachie. Before he came back to the top 30 this year, him and Matthew trained together.
“They had about eight weeks after school finished and NRL started. I am not surprised with the way his attitude is – he has always been a great trainer and he doesn’t go out.”
The extra work has paid off.
“I sometimes think he has something wrong with him,” James said with a laugh.
Those close to Galvin insist he hasn’t changed. Nor will he.
He still goes shopping with his parents, although the walk through the aisles is often interrupted these days by people wishing him well or telling him how good he is playing.
He has quickly become a fan favourite, a fact rammed home by a recent trip to see his grandparents.
“Dad can’t really go to the games any more – so we went to see him,” James said.
“We pulled into mum and dad’s place and this young kid was walking past. He goes to the public school where my wife is a teacher’s aide.
“He saw Lachie and he said to my wife, ‘Mrs Galvin, is that Lachie?’ Tracey goes, ‘Yeah, that is Lachie’. He says, ‘Hello Lachie, I’ll be back in a sec’.
“He races home and comes back with 14 of his mates. They all have footballs and jerseys for Lachie to sign. Lachie signs them all and then with one of the footballs, here is Lachie in the front of mum and dad’s place, playing touch football with all these kids.
“That is what rugby league does. It is unbelievable.
“I even got a phone call yesterday that some of the kids have been sitting outside mum and dad’s place waiting for him to come back.”
They won’t have any trouble finding him on Monday.
Galvin will be front and centre as the Tigers look to pick up from where they left off against Cronulla a week ago against Parramatta.
At some point before kick-off, James will sneak off and have a couple of quiet beers to calm the nerves. Then he and the rest of the Galvin clan will take their seat in the stands and cheer the Tigers home.
“I know my sister and all her family are all Parramatta, but they go for the Tigers now,” James said.
“I told my mates I can move on [from Parramatta] because I have seen four premierships. A lot now people haven’t. It is pretty cool.
“We’re very proud of him and very surprised. Four months ago he was playing schoolboy football. He hasn’t changed one little bit.
“I wish I had some dirt on him but he is just a nice kid.”
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