Boom Cessnock front rower Caleb Garvie signs three-year deal with Canberra

The boom youngster has featured for the Goannas in their run to the Newcastle RL semi-finals this season, starting on Sunday afternoon as Cessnock defeated Central Newcastle 28-22.

The Goannas junior made his first-grade debut as a 17-year-old in 2022 whilst also representing the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges in 2021 and 2022.

Garvie had been part of the Newcastle Knights pathways system, lining up this year in SG Ball.

Cessnock captain-coach Harry Siejka said Garvie is an NRL player in waiting.

"He's a great kid, he debut for me last year as a 17-year-old and he's come back from SG Ball this year and been really good," he said.

"He's a young kid, he's got plenty of enthusiasm and I just sort of think with our roster we've got a couple of older guys, to blood a couple of young kids like that, they definitely lift you.

"His energy and everything off the ball has been fantastic so he's been really good for us, I think Canberra's got themselves a really good front rower."

Siejka said it is a shrewd piece of business by the Raiders with Garvie reminding him of former representative teammate Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

"For the next three years I think you'll see him develop, I do think he will play NRL it's probably not a matter of if, it's more of when," he said.

"He reminds me so much of Reagan Campbell-Gillard, I was lucky enough to play with him at Penrith and the similarities are pretty much identical.

"If you look at the career he's had I don't think Garvie's too far off that sort of type of player, so like I said, in the next couple of years I think you'll see him playing NRL somewhere."