Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

BlackWhiteGold said:

Forget Lachlan Galvin. His replacement absolutely loves Wests Tigers​

By​

May 30, 2025 — 7.30pm

Heath Mason was the standout No. 6 in the Australian Schoolboys Championships final in 2023.

That is a fair wrap when you consider the five-eighth on the losing side that day was none other than Lachie Galvin.

Galvin’s departure to Canterbury this week has paved the way for Mason to wear the No.6 jersey at the Wests Tigers for the first time.

Unlike Galvin, Mason is a Wests Magpies junior who loves the Tigers and wants to stay long term. So does Galvin’s good mate Tallyn Da Silva.

“He’s on until the end of 2026. Heath loves the club and doesn’t want to be anywhere else,” Mason’s agent Matt Desira said. “I’m actually excited to see how he goes in the No. 6 because he plays direct, and loves to dig into the line. I think he can dominate at NRL level.”

While he has played a handful of NRL games at fullback, Mason grew up playing in the halves and has the potential to be a star five-eighth. The parents, family and friends at that schoolboys final a few years back on a sunny afternoon in Redcliffe will attest to that.

Australian Schoolboys coach Tim White said Galvin may have been the best player at that tournament, but Mason was the pick of the five-eighths.

“Heath’s team ended up putting 40 points on Lachie’s side – he was certainly more dominant in that game,” White said. “I ended up picking him in the schoolboys team as a No.14, but he didn’t travel because of an injury.

“He’s very versatile, very instinctive, and he can play a number of positions because he is supremely coordinated – he has an innate ability to pop up anywhere and just play. There’s almost no need to coach Heath. He’s athletic and a natural footballer.”

Mason was a member of the Magpies’ Harold Matthews team that won the 2022 premiership. The side also featured Galvin, who started in the back row, as well as Da Silva and forward Kit Laulilii, with Mason the No.6.

“Heath could do a job for you anywhere on the football field,” said Stephen Isdale, a member of the Magpies’ coaching staff that year.

“He’s a natural runner, an eyes-up footballer, and if he sees an opportunity, he’ll take it or create something for those on his outside. He’s got a great right-foot step and played on the right. The year we won, we had Heath on the right, Lachie on the left, then Tallyn and Kit through the middle – we had threats all over the place.”

Footage of Galvin training at Belmore in Canterbury colours on Friday would have been welcomed by Tigers fans who have watched their team’s season virtually placed on hold since it emerged six weeks ago their young playmaker wanted to continue his career elsewhere.

Mason will try to make the most of his first five-eighth audition when the Tigers play North Queensland on Saturday evening. Latu Fainu is another supremely talented No. 6 option but has struggled with hamstring injuries and now a hand issue.

Mason grew up playing with the Thirlmere-Tahmoor Roosters, in the southern highlands, and is signed until the end of 2026.

When asked on Friday if he was disappointed with Galvin’s departure, Tigers coach Benji Marshall said: “I don’t know if ‘disappointment’ is the word.

“Look, at the same time we like our players we’ve got, we love the squad we’ve got. We’re excited about some of the young players we’ve got coming through and for us, we want to try and make a mark on competition this year.”

The Cowboys are monitoring the Tigers and what happens with Da Silva should Api Koroisau extend his deal, which is expected in the coming months. North Queensland inquired about Koroisau and Da Silva after Reece Robson announced he was joining the Sydney Roosters.

Marshall told the Cowboys both players were off limits, but that will change should Koroisau extend, and Da Silva be given permission to leave a year early.

The home team welcome the return of Origin players Reuben Cotter, Tom Dearden, Jeremiah Nanai and Robson.
Click to expand...
Sharks are circling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TSP
LeichhardtTiger said:
Back in the Day, I was involved in Restaurant Liquor Licensing. I met a bloke who had a Pizza Restaurant in Fairfield. We got to speaking about marketing, especially given the changing demographics in that area. He said no worries, he had a top-flight, Italian background, Australian Rep, Rugby League player on his books to help promote the joint. I said, but isn't he from the Eastern Suburbs? He said with a wry smile, "Well, it's not my money, mate." Laundering money isn't hard if you know how.
Click to expand...
It's not even that hard.
Paul Vautin tells a story of how Kerry Packer offered to help him when he was on the board of the Northern Eagles.
Packer was offering to pay his players more and Vautin said yeah, but it's hard with the salary cap to which Packer replied "Haven't you heard of cash son?"
 
guywolf said:
We really need Richo to come out and clarify our position moving forward. Pretty disappointing if we've only walked away with $165k from this whole debacle.
Click to expand...
Totally agree. The Bulldogs paid $500k for the transfer of a half that hadn't even played nrl. We are dealing with that same club and an established half that their gm knee buckles over. Surely you should be asking for at least $500k
 
Needaname said:
We need to train it into our program.
I’ve seen it happen in other games, what the player who is called out does is generally run backwards with their hands raised or by their sides as fast as they can until they are onside but providing a bit of a block for their teammates to get across to them.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that works too but when the ref has called them out early and they have time to back peddle. That’s the issue I had with the ref’s in the two instances mentioned. The players weren’t given thinking time and the ref effectively created the space.
 
Needaname said:
Hang on so if your offside and get involved in a try scoring tackle it’s immediate sin bin? I would think it’s a penalty?
So if the ref decides not to ref the game, but manage it by warning you for being offside and you still get involved it’s a sin bin. The refs should keep there mouths shut and blow the whistle!
Click to expand...
The controversial call outs seem to be more about not square at marker or standing too far back at marker. And no, it would not be a sin bin, it's a penalty or 6 again. We do often say just tackle him and cop the penalty, however the reality on the field is a large percent of tries are scored when teams get piggy backed up field with penalties or set restarts. As a player you hesitate ( especially late in the tackle count) when called out and you are cooked, you would expect cover defence to make the tackle and when they dont, you look like a complete fool.
 
hammertime said:
He'd be depth. So it would need to be the right price.
Click to expand...
Agree that he would need to take a fairly big hair cut, didn't Dolphins offer him something like $500-$550 a season and we said good luck and good bye.

Made some good hard runs at times but his ball security was not so good and generally out weighed anything beneficial that he contributed.

At the time no one could understand how or where he would get a start in that Dolphins NRL side and it turned out to be 100% correct.
 
TheClaws said:
The controversial call outs seem to be more about not square at marker or standing too far back at marker. And no, it would not be a sin bin, it's a penalty or 6 again. We do often say just tackle him and cop the penalty, however the reality on the field is a large percent of tries are scored when teams get piggy backed up field with penalties or set restarts. As a player you hesitate ( especially late in the tackle count) when called out and you are cooked, you would expect cover defence to make the tackle and when they dont, you look like a complete fool.
Click to expand...
It hgappened in last nights game, KPP caught in no mans land between markers and the defense line, called offside and allowed the dragons ball runner free passage leading to a try
 
innsaneink said:
It hgappened in last nights game, KPP caught in no mans land between markers and the defense line, called offside and allowed the dragons ball runner free passage leading to a try
Click to expand...

It’s happening in a fair few games this year, Hughes at Storm & Luai have done that same thing also. I thought that clubs got notified that if a player gets called off side at marker and makes no attempt to go back and tackles a player in a break chance they could be in the bin for professional foul.
 
Needaname said:
I think his 3/4 record of Knights playing finals will keep him at the club.
Click to expand...
I dunno, wasn’t Brad Arthur sacked only a season and a half after he took Parramatta to a GF? Not to mention Newcastle’s finals appearances have been pretty insipid, just scraping in and usually bundled out straight away. Clubs want results, I’ll be surprised if O’Brien lasts the season if the Knights’ poor form keeps up.
 
Flippedy said:
I dunno, wasn’t Brad Arthur sacked only a season and a half after he took Parramatta to a GF? Not to mention Newcastle’s finals appearances have been pretty insipid, just scraping in and usually bundled out straight away. Clubs want results, I’ll be surprised if O’Brien lasts the season if the Knights’ poor form keeps up.
Click to expand...
There allegedly is a $2m payout for AOB according to Knights' supporters.
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
Another one of our announcements (in addition to the Tony Sukkar club option activation) looks to be Heath Mason on a 1 year extension.

It was unwittingly announced in the SMH article tonight by his manager lol

“He’s on until the end of 2026. Heath loves the club and doesn’t want to be anywhere else,” Mason’s agent Matt Desira said.

“I’m actually excited to see how he goes in the No. 6 because he plays direct, and loves to dig into the line. I think he can dominate at NRL level.”
Click to expand...
Anywhere; EXCEPT FULLBACK please!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 744 (members: 3, guests: 741)
Back
Top