Tigers teenage whiz kid produces Easter miracle to sink Eels

EELS 16 TIGERS 17

The Tigers’ teenage whiz kid who grew up idolising Parramatta helped inspire an Easter miracle as Benji Marshall’s new era claimed its biggest scalp on Monday.

Lachlan Galvin, the 19-year-old playmaker fresh out of high school, overcame a sin-bin drama for an ugly hip-drop tackle to lead the Tigers to a breathless 17-16 win over the Eels at CommBank Stadium.

Having been a Parramatta junior who harboured dreams of wearing the blue and gold, Galvin set up a crucial second-half try in just his third NRL game before Eels co-captain and stand-in goalkicker Clint Gutherson missed a difficult after-the-siren penalty goal from 36 metres out and six metres in from touch which would have won the game.

Veteran half Aidan Sezer had booted the Tigers ahead with a last-minute field goal before the visitors were pinged for an offside penalty from the kick-off.

But it was Galvin who announced his arrival on the big stage, setting up the first of Justin Olam’s two tries in the opening minutes before breezing past schoolmate Blaize Talagi to set up Jahream Bula’s try which put the Tigers in front.

“As Benji says, ‘do what you see’,” Galvin said. “I could see I could run and I was lucky I got through. I heard Bula back on the inside like he always is in games and at training. I thought, ‘throw it’. He’s always there.

“Five months ago I was at school every day and getting my lunch box in my bag. It’s pretty weird. It’s a dream come true, and I’ll hopefully keep the good form up.”

The former Westfields Sports High School student will face a nervous wait on Tuesday with the match review committee to analyse a hip-drop tackle on Kelma Tuilagi which prompted his sin-binning.

Gutherson’s penalty goal, taking over duties for the injured Mitchell Moses, put the Eels eight points ahead in the second half.

But having to absorb a mountain of pressure in the first half, the Tigers found a way back into the contest when Galvin returned with tries to Olam after a Sezer cutout pass and then to Bula.

“I just had to think to myself, ‘what’s next and what can I do to get the team home here?’ [Marshall’s] been so good for me,” Galvin said. “He shows full confidence in me and it makes me want to go out there and play for him.”

Said Marshall: “I’ve talked about him a lot, but we just love the way he plays, the way he is and to come back on after probably feeling a bit down about himself, and to produce what he did, just shows his character.”

The win takes the Tigers into a six-way battle at the top of the NRL ladder, joining the Dolphins, Panthers, Cowboys, Sharks and Storm on six competition points after four rounds.

It was the second time they’d beaten the Eels by a single point on Easter Monday in three years.

The Tigers dispensed with the sheets used for their new team song in last week’s thumping win over Cronulla, prompting Benji Marshall to start losing his voice in the press conference.

“[The song] went OK today, but still can be better,” he joked.

Eels coach Brad Arthur lamented his side’s attitude after their come-from-behind win against Manly last week and playing without Moses for the first time this year. He’s expected to miss a minimum of two months with a foot injury.

“I felt like we probably just chased a soft win,” he said. “The last couple of weeks we’ve just built our game about being tough and rolling the sleeves up. I don’t know if we wanted to do that as much as they did [on Monday].”

But they still could have snatched the match after the bell with Gutherson’s kick, which hooked badly to the left of the uprights.

“You’ve got to sit in the box with Robbie Farah and John Morris to understand,” Marshall said. “They’re both just like, ‘we can’t lose like this’.

“I said, ‘look, boys, what is meant to be will be and if we do, we’ll just be proud of the boys’.”

There’s only one that really matters, and the Tigers won it.

He’s missed it.

Clint Gutherson has hooked the difficult and long-range kick and the Tigers have won an Easter Monday cliffhanger from an improbable position. That would have been absolute heartbreak for the Tigers having worked so hard to get back into the game from eight points down with a man in the sin-bin.

But if the Eels didn’t have Mitchell Moses injured on the sidelines, you would have almost said Parramatta would have jagged the two points with that difficult kick.

And how about that kid Lachlan Galvin? Het set up the day’s first try, which seemed like a lifetime ago, got sin-binned in the second half and then returned to set up what would be the crucial try.

Aidan Sezer then kicked the Tigers to a one-point lead with a last-minute field goal, but that wasn’t the end of the drama. In the end, Benji’s boys win and they’re now joint at the top of the ladder with six competition points.

Are you not entertained?

Eels 16 Tigers 17

The Eels have a penalty off the kick-off. The Tigers were offside as they tried to defuse the short attempt.

Clint Gutherson will have a kick after the siren from 37 metres out and six metres in from touch to win the game.

The drama.

Eels 16 Tigers 17

Aidan Sezer has done it. He’s kicked an 18-metre field goal with 45 seconds left…

Eels 16 Tigers 17

Two minutes left and at this stage we’re heading to golden point. Aidan Sezer has taken a two-point field goal attempt from beyond 40 metres that can only be described as agricultural.

Will the Tigers get another chance?

Eels 16 Tigers 16

Just as the Tigers fans dared to dream, their nerves are now shredded with the Eels levelling the match.

Solomona Faataape, the rookie centre, is penalised for escorting Shaun Lane off the ball as he chased a bomb. It results in an easy decision for the referee and Clint Gutherson’s penalty goal from right in front has tid the scores.

We’ve got five minutes left.

Who is going to be the matchwinner? Or where is Jackson Hastings when you need him?

Eels 16 Tigers 16

Can you believe it?

The 19-year-old Lachlan Galvin, sin-binned for a hip-drop tackle earlier in the second half, has now set up a superb Tigers try, splitting the Eels defence and throwing a mesmerising pass back to Jahream Bula, who scores underneath the posts.

He would have enjoyed that, too, because the man he beat to set up the try was schoolmate and old halves partner Lachlan Galvin. What a star this kid is going to be.

Api Koroisau’s conversion from right in front gives the Tigers the lead. And we’ve only got 10 minutes left.

Eels 14 Tigers 16

Lachlan Galvin is back from the sin-bin. Justin Olam is back, with his second try of the day. The Tigers are back.

The Papua New Guinean international was found in acres of space on the left after a lovely runaround play from Aidan Sezer and Alex Seyfarth condensed the Eels defence.

Olam has been great for the Tigers in his first two games for his new club.

That try was coming, too. The Tigers had four consecutive sets on the Eels’ line after the Morgan Harper twice knocked down a pass from Jahream Bula on the same scrum play.

Api Koroisau can’t kick the conversion, but what a finish we have coming up with 15 minutes left.

Eels 14 Tigers 10

It’s getting all a bit comical during this period while Lachlan Galvin is in the bin.

The Eels can’t quite make their numerical advantage into a territorial one, and the Tigers can’t quite get out of their own end efficiently. On one play, Aidan Sezer went to kick before the last and couldn’t because his teammate Fonua Pole was standing virtually in front of him and couldn’t get out of the way.

Only two minutes until Galvin is back. Can the Tigers hold on?

Eels 14 Tigers 6