Galvin-ised Tigers win golden point epic

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Wests Tigers v Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Lachlan Galvin came up with two key plays in his return to the NRL as the Wests Tigers pipped the Cronulla Sharks 20-18 in a Sunday afternoon golden point epic.

All the talk before Sunday's game was whether the Leichhardt faithful would boo Galvin. 

Instead, he brought Tigers fans to their feet in the ninth minute as he popped a late offload to put Samuela Fainu over for the first try of the afternoon, although there was a question mark over the pass. 

Regardless, it was a promising start for the home side and that continued for the majority of the first half, even with the Sharks largely enjoying more ball in scoring territory.

Poor execution continued to let Cronulla down as the Tigers pushed further ahead in the 27th minute off some individual brilliance from Staford To'a, who fended off his opposite man to create a two-on-one and put Sunia Turuva over in the corner.

What was a dominant first half from the Tigers failed to translate on the scoreboard though as Nicho Hynes put Ronaldo Mulitalo streaming through a hole in the 39th minute to make it 10-6 heading into the sheds.

It was a deflating feeling for the Tigers, but it didn't take long for the hosts to regain ascendancy as Briton Nikora was sent to the sin bin for a high shot on Jarome Luai. 

That saw the Tigers opt for the penalty goal to go a converted try ahead before Tallyn da Silva scored on the ensuing set to extend the lead out to 18-6.

Just as it looked like the Tigers were in cruise control, the Sharks wrestled back momentum in a stunning long-range try as Mulitalo kicked inside for Billy Burns, who then found fullback and Dally M leader Will Kennedy in support.

That reduced the home side's lead to 18-12 entering the final 20 minutes of the game.

The twists kept coming as Fonua Pole was sent to the bin for high contact on Tom Hazleton and the Sharks capitalized on the one-man advantage immediately through Billy Burns to tie up the game.

Cronulla had the best chances to steal victory late, first through Hynes as his two-point field goal attempt hit the post before the Sharks halfback again threatened to silence the Leichhardt crowd when he put Thomas Hazleton through a massive hole, only for Galvin to make a crucial try-saving tackle. 

It saw the game go to golden point and a Terrell May error on the first set gifted Cronulla prime field position, but Hynes had his field goal attempt charged down. 

The field goal attempts continued without success for both teams until the 88th minute when an all-or-nothing play from Hazleton backfired as he was penalized for a strip. 

It presented Adam Doueihi with an opportunity to turn game-winner and he did just that, sending the ball through the posts to secure a thrilling 20-18 win.

The Sharks will look to bounce back next week when they host the Eels while the Tigers play the Dragons.