Luke Brooks has revealed he will go into his halves pairing with Lachlan Galvin cold, having only just met despite the pair's similar paths at Wests Tigers.
Brooks will play his first representative game in almost 10 years for the Prime Minister's XIII against Papua New Guinea on Sunday, with Galvin alongside him.
On the surface the careers of Brooks and Galvin appear tightly entwined, and in another world they could have been the Tigers' long-term halves pairing.
Galvin's debut this year at Wests Tigers was the most hyped of any player at the club since Brooks' in 2013, when he was labelled by critics as the next Andrew Johns.
Brooks battled under that spotlight, enduring almost a decade of being a punching bag for Tigers fans, before eventually leaving for Manly at the end of 2023.
His exit allowed Galvin to be picked out of SG Ball for round one this year, without ever having played a senior game.
Galvin subsequently starred, was named the Rugby League Players Association's rookie of the year, and would likely have won the same award at the Dally Ms if not ineligible due to a suspension.
But despite those paths, Brooks said he and Galvin had only met for the first time at a sizing day last week, and never trained together at the Tigers.
"I actually don't know him too well," Brooks said ahead of Sunday's clash in Port Moresby.
"I didn't meet him when I was at the Tigers, but I did meet him (last Wednesday).
"I don't think he played 20s, so we didn't have anything to do with each other.
"But it's exciting. I haven't been over there (PNG), but I've heard it's a crazy experience, so I'm looking forward to that."
Regardless, Brooks said he had been impressed by the way Galvin had handled the spotlight this year at age 19.
"It's tough to be in your rookie year in that sort of situation, but he really stood out in that side and I thought he was great," Brooks said.
"He's an attacking weapon.
"The one thing I noticed when we played against him was just how busy he was. He was moving around the whole field and getting his hands on the ball.
"He's always looking to create something, so for him to be able to do that at such a young age is pretty special."
Brooks admitted he thought the chance to wear a green-and-gold jersey had passed him by, and was surprised by the call-up to the PM's XIII.
He will be one of the senior players in an inexperienced side, with Damien Cook to captain and Brad Fittler coaching.
