- Former Parramatta Eels star has weighed into debate
- Lachlan Galvin’s split from Wests is footy’s biggest story
Lachlan Galvin’s scandalous split with Wests Tigers has left every NRL fan wondering the same thing: which club will he sign with?
And former Parramatta star Jarryd Hayne reckons he knows the answer.
The 37-year-old Eels great took to X to make his prediction on Tuesday night, writing: ‘If galvin gets released this week does that mean he can play against tigers Easter Monday.’
It’s a clear reference to the 19-year-old signing with Parramatta, as the Tigers play the Eels this coming Monday.
Hayne – who is odds-on to have inside knowledge of Parra’s efforts to recruit Galvin, given his strong ties to the club he played almost 200 games for – isn’t the only voice saying the young talent is headed to the Eels.
Footy expert Paul Kent has also said Galvin’s deal with the club is ‘all but done’ on his podcast, as well as declaring the five-eighth won’t be at Wests next season, despite his contract running until the end of 2026.
Parramatta great Jarryd Hayne has predicted his Eels will sign Lachlan Galvin after his bombshell split from the Wests Tigers
Hayne (pictured with wife Amellia Bonnici) isn’t the only voice claiming Parra are leading the race to secure the 19-year-old’s services
The move has the backing of Parramatta legend Brett Kenny, who said Galvin would be ‘the perfect complement for halfback Mitchell Moses’ just as he was in the halves alongside Peter Sterling in the 1980s.
It’s understood the Eels are getting all their ducks in a row in the background to secure Galvin, although Manly and Canterbury are also right in the mix for his signature.
There are several factors playing into Parramatta having a whip hand. They will have salary cap space with current five-eighth Dylan Brown set to join Newcastle next year on a multi-million dollar deal.
Mitchell Moses is a huge fan of Galvin and wants a playmaker of class beside him. Moses and Galvin are both managed by influential agent Isaac Moses.
The Eels are unlikely to re-sign off-contract forwards Ryan Matterson and Joe Ofahengaue and that will free up further salary cap space.
Galvin, although a Western Suburbs junior initially, was signed to the Eels as a teenager in the Harold Matthews Cup, so his return would be a homecoming of sorts.
In a statement on Tuesday night, Galvin said ‘any suggestion that I already have a deal done at another club for 2027 is simply not true’, while Tigers boss Shane Richardson insisted Wests would not be releasing the teenager before his contract expires at the end next season.
Galvin was dropped from the first-grade side to play Parramatta on Easter Monday at CommBank Stadium with senior players behind the decision.
Galvin has also been linked to the Bulldogs, Roosters and Sea Eagles
Hayne is odds-on to have inside information on Parramatta’s attempt to lock up Galvin given his strong ties to the club he played almost 200 games for
Kenny, Parramatta’s greatest five-eighth and a four-time premiership winner, says there will be no downside to the club securing the NRL’s most sought-after signature.
‘If they sign Galvin it will only be good for Parramatta,’ Kenny said.
‘You have Mitchell Moses who will control the game and then we can let the young kid mature and do his thing. I think it will work really well.
‘It can be just like myself and “Sterlo” [Peter Sterling] in the ’80s. Sterlo controlled the play and the whole game. I was never one to do that.
‘I was always one to do things off the top of my head and Galvin is like that. He will play off-the-cuff and create things for the players inside and outside him.
‘A lot of times the last few years Mitchell has had to try and do everything because there wasn’t much happening on the other side [of the field]. Galvin likes to try things and that will help Mitchell concentrate on what he is doing.’
