The Wests Tigers impending loss of John Bateman could mean good things for a number of the club's youngsters, headlined by Lachlan Galvin.
The Tigers have plenty of moving parts on their long-term salary cap and roster planning at the current time.
The most immediate of them is the future of John Bateman, with the English forward no guarantee of still being a contracted player at the joint venture come Round 1 of the 2025 NRL season.
It has been reported that the Tigers are willing to pay a large sum of money - potentially as much as $350,000 per year for the remainder of his contract - for the English second-rower to play elsewhere.
Despite attempting to publically squash any rumours of discontent, it has been widely reported that coach Benji Marshall and Bateman fell out last year.
If Bateman does leave the Tigers, the most likely destination is the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and even with the Tigers paying more than half of his contract, it will free up over $300,000 per season of cap space over the next couple of campaigns.
That will allow the Tigers, who have spent plenty of money on recruits this year, led by the $1.2 million per year for Jarome Luai, to start to work on tying down their own talent.
The revelation that Jarome Luai has player options for the final three years of his deal (from 2027 onwards) at the Tigers is a major thorn in the side of the joint venture, and could well play heavily on the minds of Galvin and Latu Fainu when it's their turn to head to the negotiation table.
News Corp, however, is reporting that the money saved on Bateman could be sent directly in Galvin's direction, with the club desperate to lock him down as the future of the club.
While it remains unclear what his best position will be long-term, it is more than clear that he is up to first grade, having excelled during his short career to date.
There has been some talk that the arrival of Luai will see Galvin shuffle into the forwards to accommodate Fainu in the starting side, but that is no guarantee.
Regardless, Galvin is off-contract at the end of 2026, giving the Tigers under 12 months to lock him down on a new deal before he can entertain offers from rival clubs.
And a wage increase could get it over the line, with the Tigers reportedly ready to open negotiations over his future.
The Tigers will be desperate to ensure they don't lose Galvin and Luai at the same time, a very real risk given that Luai's player options have now been discovered.
