| Luke Garner | |
| Birth Date: | 1995 9, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia |
| Height: | 190cm (80inches) |
| Weight: | 99kg (218lb) |
| Club1: | Wests Tigers |
| Year1start: | 2018 |
| Year1end: | 22 |
| Appearances1: | 75 |
| Tries1: | 23 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Fieldgoals1: | 0 |
| Points1: | 92 |
| Club2: | Penrith Panthers |
| Year2start: | 2023 |
| Year2end: | present |
| Appearances2: | 29 |
| Tries2: | 8 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Fieldgoals2: | 0 |
| Points2: | 32 |
| Yearastart: | 2018 |
| Appearancesa: | 1 |
| Triesa: | 1 |
| Goalsa: | 0 |
| Fieldgoalsa: | 0 |
| Pointsa: | 4 |
| Yearbstart: | 2022 |
| Appearancesb: | 1 |
| Triesb: | 0 |
| Goalsb: | 0 |
| Fieldgoalsb: | 0 |
| Pointsb: | 0 |
| Source: | [1] |
| Updated: | 6 October 2024 |
Luke Garner (born 6 September 1995) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Garner was born in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.[2]
He played his junior rugby league for the Bilambil Jets and attended Palm Beach Currumbin State High School before being signed by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
In 2014, Garner played for the Manly-Warringah Holden Cup (Under-20s) team and played in their 2015 Grand Final team.[3] In 2016, he joined the Sydney Roosters playing predominantly for their Intrust Super Premiership feeder club, the Wyong Roos.[4] In 2017, he joined the Western Suburbs Intrust Super Premiership team.
Garner was made captain of Western Suburbs for 2018. On 24 June, Garner represented the NSW Residents team, scoring a try in the 36-20 victory.[5] Days later he was elevated to a full-time contract with the Wests Tigers.[6] [7] He made his NRL debut in their Round 18 win over the St. George Illawarra Dragons. He continued on to make 6 appearances, 4 of them victories, before the end of the season.
In the 2019 NRL season, Garner played 14 games and scored 7 tries as the Wests Tigers finished 9th on the table. On 19 November, he signed a two-year contract extension to stay with the club until the end of the 2022 NRL season.[8] He said, "It's awesome. I debuted here at the club and to be honest I couldn't see myself playing anywhere else. I love the boys. I love Madge, I love the coaches, so very happy to stay. I look back in the off-season and came to the realisation of what happened. I was very happy with how my year went."[9]
In round 10, Garner scored two tries as Wests Tigers defeated Brisbane 48-0 at Leichhardt Oval.[10] He scored another double in round 14 against Canterbury-Bankstown,[11] and finished with 6 tries from 17 games. His 7 line-breaks were the most of any forward at the club.[12]
His two tries in the first 30 minutes in round 11 against the New Zealand Warriors[13] was the third double of his career. It also equalled the club record of 15 tries for a backrower.[14]
On 27 July, it was announced that Garner would be ruled out for an indefinite period after suffering a syndesmosis injury.[15]
Garner played 18 matches for the Wests Tigers in the 2021 NRL season as the club finished 13th and missed the finals.[16]
On 24 June, Garner signed a two-year deal with Penrith starting in the 2023 NRL season.[17] Garner played a total of 20 matches for the Wests Tigers in the 2022 NRL season as the club finished bottom of the table and claimed the Wooden Spoon for the first time.[18]
On 18 February, Garner played in Penrith's 13-12 upset loss to St Helens RFC in the 2023 World Club Challenge.[19] Garner played 12 games for Penrith in the 2023 NRL season including the clubs 26-24 victory over Brisbane in the 2023 NRL Grand Final as Penrith won their third straight premiership.[20]
On 24 February, Garner played in Penrith's 2024 World Club Challenge final loss against Wigan.[21] In round 9 of the 2024 NRL season, Garner scored two tries for Penrith in a 42-12 victory over South Sydney.[22] In June, Garner re-signed for a further two years at the Penrith Panthers. In the qualifying final, Garner scored two tries for Penrith in their 30-10 victory over the Sydney Roosters.[23] Garner played a total of 17 matches for Penrith in the 2024 NRL season including the clubs 2024 NRL Grand Final victory over Melbourne.[24]