A penalty goal from Adam Doueihi in Golden Point has seen the Wests Tigers pull off an unlikely 20-18 upset win over the Cronulla Sharks at Leichhardt Oval in Lachlan Galvin's return to first-grade
The centre of attention in news headlines over the past fortnight, which resulted in him being dropped to the NSW Cup competition, the 19-year-old was able to put it all behind him to help the Wests Tigers secure their fourth win of the season and move into the infamous ninth place on the ladder.
While it was unknown what reaction he would receive from the crowd in the lead-up to the match, the 14,812 fans cheered him on from the moment he entered the field to warm up and when he had the first touch of the clash.
Seen as a generational talent who has already earned the praise of rugby league legends Andrew Johns and Phil Gould, Galvin didn't hide under the pressure and instead made an immediate impact which saw him provide the pass that saw Samuela Fainu open up the scoring at Leichhardt Oval.
However, like most Tigers matches, the home side let their opponents back into the clash, in which the scores were tied at 18-all with a tad over ten minutes to go on the clock.
The Sharks had multiple opportunities to close out the game but failed to do so with a Nicho Hynes field-goal attempt hitting the post and Daniel Atkinson knocking the ball on in the dying seconds inches away from the line.
With the match now in Golden Point, it was Adam Doueihi who emerged as the unlikely saviour kicking a penalty conversion in front of the sticks.
Not to be outdone by his close friend and former schoolmate at Westfields Sports High School, Tallyn Da Silva also showed brilliance during his limited time on the field.
Scoring a fantastic solo try which saw him grubber past the defenders and re-gather the football, the young hooker has also been in the headlines alongside Galvin and his future at the club remains unknown at this stage.
Off-contract at the same time as Apisiai Koroisau, reports emerged over the week that he could potentially be the next to leave the club if the Tigers re-sign the ageing skipper on a contract extension.
The Wests Tigers will also be sweating on the availability of front-rower Fonua Pole after he was sent to the sin-bin following a tackle on opposing forward Thomas Hazelton and is bound to catch the attention of the Match Review Committee (MRC).
As Galvin celebrates with the team and slowly earns the respect back of his teammates, the Sharks will be sweating on the availability of back-rower Briton Nikora.
The New Zealand international was placed on report and sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Jarome Luai and could be in doubt to play next week in Magic Round against the Parramatta Eels.
This comes after Teig Wilton (shoulder) was a late omission and Mawene Hiroti (knee) was ruled out of the match at the half-time break with a medial ligament injury.
