It was a year to forget for the Wests Tigers as they 'won' a third wooden spoon in a row.
A late season charge wasn't enough, as they lost their final match of the season to Parramatta in what was dubbed the 'spoon bowl'.
That said, there were some bright sparks, with a few young players impressing in difficult circumstances, giving fans the faith that combined with some new signings, things could be better for the Tigers next season.
One of those talented youngsters has just been recognised for his achievements this season by winning the Rugby League Players Association rookie of the year award.
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Lachlan Galvin wins RLPA rookie of the year gong
Lachlan Galvin was voted the RLPA rookie of the year on Sunday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As voted by the players, the RLPA is proud to announce the 2024 Rookie of the Year from the NRL, LACHLAN GALVIN! 🏆<br><br>✅ 21x Games <br>✅ 4x Tries <br>✅ 16x Try Assists<br>✅ 6x Linebreaks <br>✅ 46x Tackle Breaks<a href="https://t.co/EtJZceezGU">https://t.co/EtJZceezGU</a> <a href="https://t.co/qVD6MaCDhH">pic.twitter.com/qVD6MaCDhH</a></p>— RLPA | Rugby League Players Association (@RLPlayers) <a href="https://twitter.com/RLPlayers/status/1840204413010366517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The 19-year-old five-eighth who came through the clubs junior program made his debut in round two this year in a loss to the Canberra Raiders, and recorded his first try assist in his second game, a 32-6 win over Cronulla.
He added two more in a tight win over Parramatta as he quickly came a key figure in the Tigers' side despite his age and inexperience.
His best game of the season came in a 48-24 win over Canberra in the middle of the year, where he scored his first tries in the NRL and also got an assist in a standout performance that showed what he and the Tigers are capable of on their day.
He would score four tries in the season, as well as recording an impressive 16 try assists in 21 games for the Tigers.
Galvin, alongside Jahream Bula and Samuela Fainu are youngsters with bags of potential who coach Benji Marshall is hoping to help lead the joint venture club out of the wilderness and to be competitive again.
Galvin in particular will benefit hugely from the signing of superstar half Jarome Luai from the three-peat champion Penrith Panthers, who is also being joined by Sunia Turuva.
Royce Hunt and Jack Bird have also signed deals with the club starting next season.
