Paul Gallen
Encyclopedia
Paul Gallen is an Australian professional rugby league
footballer for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks of the National Rugby League
. Gallen's position of choice is lock and occasionally at Prop. He is an Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative. His brother Peter Gallen is in the Cronulla Sharks Toyota Cup team.
in round 15 at Toyota Park
on 3 June. His debut was an unhappy one as Cronulla lost the match 36 points to 6. He only made one more appearance that season in the final round, round 24, when he was involved in his first ever win at first-grade level, when the Sharks were victorious over the Brisbane Broncos 24-16.
In total, Gallen made 21 appearances in his second season at first-grade level for the Cronulla Sharks, scoring just the one try in the process which was the first try of his career.
after his high shot on Sean Rudder
. Fortunately for Gallen and Cronulla, they managed to overcome the odds and defeat the Knights 30 points to 24.
Gallen made a total of 17 first-grade appearances for the club in 2003, scoring five tries in the process.
". However, he sustained an elbow injury during the match which ruled him out until round six of the competition. Gallen was the only player in round one to contest his charge.
In round 11 against the Manly Sea Eagles, Gallen scored an impressive two tries in his sides 30 points to 28 victory.
In June it was announced that Gallen had "extended his contract for another three seasons"
In the 2004 season, Gallen made a total of 19 appearances for the club and scoring five tries.
Cronulla finished in seventh place and therefore qualified to be involved in the finals series. They were drawn against the second placed side, which happened to be local rivals St. George-Illawarra. In the match Gallen managed to score a try for Cronulla however it wasn't enough to save the Sharks from losing the match 28 points to 22.
Gallen was presented the Cronulla Sharks Chairman's Award in 2005 by the clubs President Barry Pierce after his impressive season where he led the NRL in both hit ups and off loads. At the Dally M Awards
, he was also nominated for the position of "Best Lock". However, he lost out to Manly lock Ben Kennedy
.
In the 2005 season, Gallen played a total of 25 games in first-grade for the Sharks and in the process scoring six tries.
Gallen won his first ever representative jersey when he was selected to play for City in the annual City vs Country
match. In June, Sharks coach Stuart Raper
pleaded with the New South Wales selectors to give Paul Gallen an opportunity to prove his worth at State of Origin level. Raper argued that "Gallen's been consistent for us over the past 18 months and if NSW hiccup on Wednesday night...he'll certainly be knocking on the door." After missing out on selection in the first game, Gallen again failed to make selection for the second match. However, after NSW was thrashed by QLD, the NSW selectors made drastic changes to their team by replacing players that performed poorly. He was selected to play in the third and final match which was to be the State of Origin decider, where QLD came from behind to win 16–14.
Gallen was selected to play in the annual Prime Minister's XIII
squad to play Papua New Guinea
at the end of September. The Prime Minister's XIII defeated Papua New Guinea 28 points to 8 at Port Moresby but Gallen failed to be selected for the Australian Tri Nations squad
. At the end of the season, Paul Gallen won the Supporters Player of the Year award
In September 2006, just days after he was voted the Sharks supporters player of the year, Gallen announced that he was considering leaving the Sharks despite having a year left on his contract. Gallen stated that it wasn't the club or coaching staff that made him consider leaving the club but rather the fact that "I just want to play semi-final football". Gallen also stated that he was "looking for a fresh start and a fresh challenge".
In 2006, Gallen made 18 appearances in first-grade for the Cronulla Sharks, scoring seven tries for the club.
1.4 million offer from Manly in favour of a $1.1 million deal. Manly confirmed that they were interested in signing him however, Manly denied that they ever made an actual offer for him. Gallen stated that he decided to stay at the Sharks because he was inspired by Nathan Hindmarsh, who had recently signed a contract with the Eels in the aim to be a one-club man. Gallen also cited the fact that he wanted to win a premiership with the club because "you'd be remembered for your whole life here in Cronulla if you were part of that first-ever premiership" as well as the fact that his "old man also wanted me to stay at the Sharks."
In a pre-season trial against South Sydney, Gallen had to be taken from the field with an injury to his ankle. After undergoing an MRI scan on his ankle, Sharks physio Matt Green stated that "the scans have revealed ligament damage but the injury is not as bad as first feared." The injury kept Gallen out until round four of the season when he made his return against the St. George-Illawarra Dragons and he made his first start of the NRL season a week later against the Wests Tigers but only because he was taking painkilling injections before the games. In round 6 against Canberra, Gallen set up a try for Ben Pomeroy
before, unfortunately for Gallen, he was forced from the field due to injury during the second half. However, the injury wasn't serious and he was cleared to play in the following round against Newcastle.
It was announced that Gallen had been selected for City to play in the annual City vs Country match but unluckily for him, he was forced to withdraw due to another ankle injury which he sustained in round 7 against Newcastle. The injury however was not serious enough to keep him out for the next NRL fixture against the New Zealand Warriors, but the club doctors believed that his right ankle could not handle playing in the City vs Country match as that would have meant playing three games in the space of six days.
In the match against the Broncos in round 9, Gallen put in another impressive performance, setting up a try in the process. A week later in the match against Canterbury, Gallen sealed the 30–20 points victory with a try in the dying stages of the match and in the process gave the Sharks breathing space. For his effort against the Bulldogs, Gallen was voted as the man of the match. The following week in round 11, Gallen again scored a try in a losing effort against the Roosters.
On 11 June in round 13, Gallen sparked controversy in the local derby match against St. George-Illawarra at Oki Jubilee Stadium
in which Cronulla triumphed 20 points to 16. Gallen was accused of taking a dive after copping a high shot by Richie Williams
. After the referee awarded the penalty Gallen rose to his feet and winked at his teammates. Gallen defended the incident claiming that he "was hit in the head and it hurt". St. George-Illawarra coach Nathan Brown hit out at Paul Gallen claiming that he "is a tough player, that wouldn't have knocked the top off him." Also in the match, Gallen was placed on report for a head high tackle on Ben Creagh
. However, Gallen did manage to set up the first Sharks try for Mitch Brown.
In the days following the game, Gallen continued to come under scrutiny. Gallen explained "We've got a motto here at the Sharks: do whatever it takes to win. That's what I've always done. I'm never going to stop doing that." Gallen continued "we won the game. That's all I care about."
In round 14 against New Zealand, Gallen was again put on report by the referee after a head high tackle on Patrick Ah Van
. The judiciary charged him with a grade one careless high tackle which in turn meant that he was suspended for the game against South Sydney in the following round. Cronulla had the bye in round 16 which meant that Gallen had not had the previous two weeks to prove himself for selection in the third game of the series in State of Origin. Despite this, Gallen was rewarded for his impressive season to date with a call-up to the New South Wales side for the third State of Origin match, although New South Wales were already 2–0 down in the three game series.
Before the third game of the Origin series, Gallen declared that he "can't wait to be running out and getting booed, I love that sort of stuff. It would mean everything going up there and beating them." After New South Wales had lost the first two games, there was talk that New South Wales lacked passion and Gallen stated that "everybody was sick of hearing it." Just over ten minutes into the match, Gallen put a high shot on Tonie Carroll
. Gallen, who was also helped out by his team-mates, then preceded to get in a fight with the opposition. Speaking of the incident after the match, Gallen stated that he and Greg Bird
"came here saying that if anyone touches any of us, we're putting it on. I knew it would be a penalty but I knew it would also fire the boys up – it's good for the game."
Gallen was impressive in just his second State of Origin match. In the 55 minutes of the match that he was involved in, he made a total of 127 metres gained as well as making 15 tackles. But even after QLD lost their lock in the first minute, both their wingers during the middle of the game and numerous other injuries to players who could not come off due to no more replacements, NSW could not get more than a two point lead until the 72nd minute where they scored two tries, Gallen setting up the final New South Wales try for Hazem El Masri
, which in the process capped off a 18 points to 4 New South Wales victory.
After the round 18 loss to the Sydney Roosters, Gallen was charged by the NRL judiciary for a "grade one contrary conduct offence" after he head-butted Roosters' player Shane Shackleton
and was subsequently banned for one match.
Round 22 against third placed Parramatta Eels saw the Sharks snap a seven match losing streak in golden point extra time. It was later reported that after the match Gallen was involved in an incident with Reece Williams
at winger Dustin Cooper's
house. After consuming what was said to be "too much alcohol", team-mates and good friends, Gallen and Williams were involved in a fight. Coach Ricky Stuart
stated that although it should not have happened, that there was nothing serious about it as it was only "a scuffle"
At the conclusion of the NRL Premiership, Gallen was rewarded for his fine season with a call up for the Australian squad in a one-off test match against New Zealand on 14 October. However it was announced barely a week before the match that Gallen had to be pulled out of the squad due to a "shoulder injury", with his replacement being Melbourne Storm's Dallas Johnson
.
, where he allegedly attempted to rip the stitches out of Laffranchi's head wound. Titans player Josh Graham also claimed that Gallen clutched his testicles although this was not proven.
Gallen was selected for all three games in the annual State of Origin
series. In the third and decisive game of the series Gallen gave away three penalties and came under heavy criticism from fans for his lack of discipline, in particular for his late hit on Johnathan Thurston. Gallen described the loss as the worst of his career but defended himself saying "they've been saying that those three penalties cost us the game. But there's no way in the world that anyone can say that." Due to his ill discipline in the deciding match, there were calls for Gallen to be sacked as captain of the Sharks but coach Ricky Stuart came out and backed Gallen saying that he should remain the club captain.
In round 18, Gallen scored Cronulla's only try in the top of the table clash in which the Sharks lost to Manly by 34 points to 6. Gallen described the heavy defeat as embarrassing. In the following match against the Newcastle Knights, Gallen was put on report for a high shot on Cooper Vuna
. He also gave away several other penalties and claimed that the referees were targeting him.
In 2008 Gallen represented Australia in the Centenary test, scoring a try.
In August Gallen was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
, and in October 2008 he was selected in the final 24-man Australia squad.
on 8 May 2009.
Further, in 2009, Gallen attracted public outrage for racially abusing an opponent, namely the Dragons player Mickey Paea
.
The incident gained attention initially, due to the angry reaction of Paea, who is normally a quietly reserved player with strong religious beliefs. After the event, there were reports Gallen would be stripped of his captaincy. However, pre-empting this, on 1 June 2009, Gallen voluntarily stepped down from his sharks captaincy. Trent Barett took over as full time captain, however due to his season ending injury, Luke Covell was selected as his replacement.
In December, 2009, Paul Gallen was issued with a criminal infringement notice for urinating in public near the head of a drunken friend.
side but was selected for the two remaining matches. In the second game he was placed on report for a high shot on Nate Myles
in the twenty-third minute. However, his performance was still impressive enough to lead Daily Telegraph Sports editor-at-large, Phil Rothfield, to postulate, that of all the NSW players, Gallen would be the only one that Queensland would select if he was theoretically available for them (in place of Ashley Harrison
). In the final match of the series, Gallen scored his sides first try just before half time and set up team mate Kurt Gidley
for their second try just after the interval.
as well as for the Australian team. Paul scored his first try of the season in Round 3 against the Panthers. Sharks won that game 44-12. He continued scoring tries and as of Round 16, he has scored 6 tries. In State of Origin II Gal was controversially selected to play prop and became the first prop to play 80 minutes in an origin match since Glenn Lazarus
in 1998. His performance was recognized as one of the greatest ever in the blue jersey earning him the reward of man of the match. Paul also limped into the 2011 Anzac test match and was awarded Man of the Match.
In round 26 2011 Paul Gallen played his 200th game of First grade football. He play in front of his home ground at Sharks Park, but the atmosphere was a good feeling. But he didn't win the game, but him personally had an great match. The final score was 22 to the sharks and 30 to the tigers.
On 3 November 2011 The annual RLIF Awards
dinner was held at the Tower of London
and Gallen was named loose forward
of the year.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks of the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
. Gallen's position of choice is lock and occasionally at Prop. He is an Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative. His brother Peter Gallen is in the Cronulla Sharks Toyota Cup team.
2001
Paul Gallen made his NRL Premiership rugby league debut for the Cronulla Sharks against the Parramatta EelsParramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
in round 15 at Toyota Park
Toyota Park (Cronulla)
Endeavour Field, currently known as Toyota Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a rugby league stadium in the suburb of Woolooware, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home ground for the Cronulla Sharks rugby league team, which represents the Cronulla and Sutherland Shire area...
on 3 June. His debut was an unhappy one as Cronulla lost the match 36 points to 6. He only made one more appearance that season in the final round, round 24, when he was involved in his first ever win at first-grade level, when the Sharks were victorious over the Brisbane Broncos 24-16.
2002
In round 14 the Sharks beat the Canberra Raiders by 36 points to 26. But the game was more significant for Gallen in that he scored his first ever try at first-grade level.In total, Gallen made 21 appearances in his second season at first-grade level for the Cronulla Sharks, scoring just the one try in the process which was the first try of his career.
2003
In round 11 against the Newcastle Knights and with Cronulla trailing 22 points to 20, Paul Gallen was sent off by referee Paul SimpkinsPaul Simpkins
Paul Simpkins is a retired Australian professional rugby league referee, officiating in the Australian first-grade competition, National Rugby League. In addition to regularly working the NRL, Simpkins also officiated at the annual State of Origin tournament between Queensland and New South Wales...
after his high shot on Sean Rudder
Sean Rudder
Sean Rudder born 13 February 1979 in Australia is a rugby league player for the Newtown Jets in the NSWRL Premier League. He currently plays the position of hooker. Sean has previously played for the Newcastle Knights, Castleford Tigers and the Catalans Dragons as a five-eighth.-External links:****...
. Fortunately for Gallen and Cronulla, they managed to overcome the odds and defeat the Knights 30 points to 24.
Gallen made a total of 17 first-grade appearances for the club in 2003, scoring five tries in the process.
2004
In the opening round of the year against the Wests Tigers, Gallen was involved in a fight which saw him suspended for two weeks after the NRL judiciary found him guilty of a contrary conduct charge. The judiciary decided that he had "instigated and tried to go on with a fight involving Wests Tigers prop John SkandalisJohn Skandalis
John Skandalis is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the NRL. He played previously for the Western Suburbs Magpies and Huddersfield Giants...
". However, he sustained an elbow injury during the match which ruled him out until round six of the competition. Gallen was the only player in round one to contest his charge.
In round 11 against the Manly Sea Eagles, Gallen scored an impressive two tries in his sides 30 points to 28 victory.
In June it was announced that Gallen had "extended his contract for another three seasons"
In the 2004 season, Gallen made a total of 19 appearances for the club and scoring five tries.
2005
In round 24, the Sharks scored their biggest ever victory, scoring a 68 points to 6 win over the Manly Sea Eagles, with Gallen scoring a try.Cronulla finished in seventh place and therefore qualified to be involved in the finals series. They were drawn against the second placed side, which happened to be local rivals St. George-Illawarra. In the match Gallen managed to score a try for Cronulla however it wasn't enough to save the Sharks from losing the match 28 points to 22.
Gallen was presented the Cronulla Sharks Chairman's Award in 2005 by the clubs President Barry Pierce after his impressive season where he led the NRL in both hit ups and off loads. At the Dally M Awards
2005 Dally M Awards
The 2005 Dally M Awards were presented on Tuesday 6 September 2005 at the Sydney Town Hall in Sydney and broadcast on Fox Sports. Warren Smith presided as Master of Ceremonies.-Dally M Player of the Year:Dally M Player of the Year...
, he was also nominated for the position of "Best Lock". However, he lost out to Manly lock Ben Kennedy
Ben Kennedy
Ben Kennedy , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s...
.
In the 2005 season, Gallen played a total of 25 games in first-grade for the Sharks and in the process scoring six tries.
2006
Before the season started it was discovered that Gallen was suffering from a bulging disc in his lower back. After having surgery he wanted to return to action just a week after having the surgery done. He ended up making his comeback within nine weeks which amazed the Sharks medical staff as it was predicted it would take much longer than that.Gallen won his first ever representative jersey when he was selected to play for City in the annual City vs Country
City vs Country Origin
City vs Country is an annual Australian rugby league football match that takes place in New South Wales between City and Country representative sides. The City side represents the Sydney metropolitan area...
match. In June, Sharks coach Stuart Raper
Stuart Raper
Stuart Raper is an Australian former professional rugby league player and coach. He has since become a sideline commentator for the NRL with Foxsports...
pleaded with the New South Wales selectors to give Paul Gallen an opportunity to prove his worth at State of Origin level. Raper argued that "Gallen's been consistent for us over the past 18 months and if NSW hiccup on Wednesday night...he'll certainly be knocking on the door." After missing out on selection in the first game, Gallen again failed to make selection for the second match. However, after NSW was thrashed by QLD, the NSW selectors made drastic changes to their team by replacing players that performed poorly. He was selected to play in the third and final match which was to be the State of Origin decider, where QLD came from behind to win 16–14.
Gallen was selected to play in the annual Prime Minister's XIII
Prime Minister's XIII
Prime Minister's XIII or the PM's XIII is the name of a representative rugby league team selected on an annual basis by the Prime Minister of Australia that consists of mainly young Australian players drawn from the National Rugby League competition to take on the Papua New Guinea national rugby...
squad to play Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea national rugby league team
The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea internationally in the sport of rugby league football.In Papua New Guinea, Rugby league is highly popular and is regarded as the country’s national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls...
at the end of September. The Prime Minister's XIII defeated Papua New Guinea 28 points to 8 at Port Moresby but Gallen failed to be selected for the Australian Tri Nations squad
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
. At the end of the season, Paul Gallen won the Supporters Player of the Year award
In September 2006, just days after he was voted the Sharks supporters player of the year, Gallen announced that he was considering leaving the Sharks despite having a year left on his contract. Gallen stated that it wasn't the club or coaching staff that made him consider leaving the club but rather the fact that "I just want to play semi-final football". Gallen also stated that he was "looking for a fresh start and a fresh challenge".
In 2006, Gallen made 18 appearances in first-grade for the Cronulla Sharks, scoring seven tries for the club.
2007
Due to his claims at the end of the previous season that he wanted out of the club, there was much speculation about Paul Gallen's future at the Cronulla Sharks before the season started as his contract was set to expire at the back end of the 2007 season. There were rumours that he would walk out on the club after his contract expired as well as other reports in the media that Manly would sign him as a long-term replacement for recently retired Manly player Ben Kennedy. However, Gallen decided to stay at the club, putting to rest the rumours in the media, by signing a four year deal with Cronulla, meaning that he would stay at the club until 2011 and in the process make him at the one club for ten years. Gallen reportedly turned down a $Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
1.4 million offer from Manly in favour of a $1.1 million deal. Manly confirmed that they were interested in signing him however, Manly denied that they ever made an actual offer for him. Gallen stated that he decided to stay at the Sharks because he was inspired by Nathan Hindmarsh, who had recently signed a contract with the Eels in the aim to be a one-club man. Gallen also cited the fact that he wanted to win a premiership with the club because "you'd be remembered for your whole life here in Cronulla if you were part of that first-ever premiership" as well as the fact that his "old man also wanted me to stay at the Sharks."
In a pre-season trial against South Sydney, Gallen had to be taken from the field with an injury to his ankle. After undergoing an MRI scan on his ankle, Sharks physio Matt Green stated that "the scans have revealed ligament damage but the injury is not as bad as first feared." The injury kept Gallen out until round four of the season when he made his return against the St. George-Illawarra Dragons and he made his first start of the NRL season a week later against the Wests Tigers but only because he was taking painkilling injections before the games. In round 6 against Canberra, Gallen set up a try for Ben Pomeroy
Ben Pomeroy
Ben Pomeroy is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League competition. Pomeroy previously played for the Penrith Panthers and his position of choice is at .-Playing career:Pomeroy made his first grade debut with the Panthers in...
before, unfortunately for Gallen, he was forced from the field due to injury during the second half. However, the injury wasn't serious and he was cleared to play in the following round against Newcastle.
It was announced that Gallen had been selected for City to play in the annual City vs Country match but unluckily for him, he was forced to withdraw due to another ankle injury which he sustained in round 7 against Newcastle. The injury however was not serious enough to keep him out for the next NRL fixture against the New Zealand Warriors, but the club doctors believed that his right ankle could not handle playing in the City vs Country match as that would have meant playing three games in the space of six days.
In the match against the Broncos in round 9, Gallen put in another impressive performance, setting up a try in the process. A week later in the match against Canterbury, Gallen sealed the 30–20 points victory with a try in the dying stages of the match and in the process gave the Sharks breathing space. For his effort against the Bulldogs, Gallen was voted as the man of the match. The following week in round 11, Gallen again scored a try in a losing effort against the Roosters.
On 11 June in round 13, Gallen sparked controversy in the local derby match against St. George-Illawarra at Oki Jubilee Stadium
Oki Jubilee Stadium
Jubilee Oval is one of two home stadiums used by the St. George Illawarra Dragons team, a rugby league club that plays in Australasia's National Rugby League. The R2K entity was instrumental in ensuring that NRL matches were played at Kogarah from 2003 onwards...
in which Cronulla triumphed 20 points to 16. Gallen was accused of taking a dive after copping a high shot by Richie Williams
Richard Williams (rugby league)
Richard "Richie" Williams , is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL. He previously played for the Penrith Panthers and the St. George Illawarra Dragons...
. After the referee awarded the penalty Gallen rose to his feet and winked at his teammates. Gallen defended the incident claiming that he "was hit in the head and it hurt". St. George-Illawarra coach Nathan Brown hit out at Paul Gallen claiming that he "is a tough player, that wouldn't have knocked the top off him." Also in the match, Gallen was placed on report for a head high tackle on Ben Creagh
Ben Creagh
Ben Creagh is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League...
. However, Gallen did manage to set up the first Sharks try for Mitch Brown.
In the days following the game, Gallen continued to come under scrutiny. Gallen explained "We've got a motto here at the Sharks: do whatever it takes to win. That's what I've always done. I'm never going to stop doing that." Gallen continued "we won the game. That's all I care about."
In round 14 against New Zealand, Gallen was again put on report by the referee after a head high tackle on Patrick Ah Van
Patrick Ah Van
Patrick Ah Van is a professional rugby league player who currently plays in the Super League for the Bradford Bulls...
. The judiciary charged him with a grade one careless high tackle which in turn meant that he was suspended for the game against South Sydney in the following round. Cronulla had the bye in round 16 which meant that Gallen had not had the previous two weeks to prove himself for selection in the third game of the series in State of Origin. Despite this, Gallen was rewarded for his impressive season to date with a call-up to the New South Wales side for the third State of Origin match, although New South Wales were already 2–0 down in the three game series.
Before the third game of the Origin series, Gallen declared that he "can't wait to be running out and getting booed, I love that sort of stuff. It would mean everything going up there and beating them." After New South Wales had lost the first two games, there was talk that New South Wales lacked passion and Gallen stated that "everybody was sick of hearing it." Just over ten minutes into the match, Gallen put a high shot on Tonie Carroll
Tonie Carroll
Tonie Carroll is retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian and New Zealand international representative utility, he played for the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL...
. Gallen, who was also helped out by his team-mates, then preceded to get in a fight with the opposition. Speaking of the incident after the match, Gallen stated that he and Greg Bird
Greg Bird
Gregory Bird is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently contracted to the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League...
"came here saying that if anyone touches any of us, we're putting it on. I knew it would be a penalty but I knew it would also fire the boys up – it's good for the game."
Gallen was impressive in just his second State of Origin match. In the 55 minutes of the match that he was involved in, he made a total of 127 metres gained as well as making 15 tackles. But even after QLD lost their lock in the first minute, both their wingers during the middle of the game and numerous other injuries to players who could not come off due to no more replacements, NSW could not get more than a two point lead until the 72nd minute where they scored two tries, Gallen setting up the final New South Wales try for Hazem El Masri
Hazem El Masri
Hazem El Masri is a Lebanese-Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australia and Lebanon international, and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played his entire club football career with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs with...
, which in the process capped off a 18 points to 4 New South Wales victory.
After the round 18 loss to the Sydney Roosters, Gallen was charged by the NRL judiciary for a "grade one contrary conduct offence" after he head-butted Roosters' player Shane Shackleton
Shane Shackleton
Shane Shackleton is an Australian professional rugby league player in the National Rugby League . He currently plays for the Parramatta Eels and previously played for the Sydney Roosters from 2005–2009. His position of choice is at second row....
and was subsequently banned for one match.
Round 22 against third placed Parramatta Eels saw the Sharks snap a seven match losing streak in golden point extra time. It was later reported that after the match Gallen was involved in an incident with Reece Williams
Reece Williams
Reece Williams was an Australian rugby league player for the Cronulla Sharks in the National Rugby League competition where he played Second Row, Prop Forward and Centre. Williams retired in 2010 following a series of injuries.-Early career:Reece Williams played football for the Yarrawarrah Tigers...
at winger Dustin Cooper's
Dustin Cooper
Dustin Cooper is an Australian rugby league player who currently plays primarily as a winger for the Toyota Verblitz rugby union team in the Top League in Japan.- Rugby League Career :...
house. After consuming what was said to be "too much alcohol", team-mates and good friends, Gallen and Williams were involved in a fight. Coach Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
stated that although it should not have happened, that there was nothing serious about it as it was only "a scuffle"
At the conclusion of the NRL Premiership, Gallen was rewarded for his fine season with a call up for the Australian squad in a one-off test match against New Zealand on 14 October. However it was announced barely a week before the match that Gallen had to be pulled out of the squad due to a "shoulder injury", with his replacement being Melbourne Storm's Dallas Johnson
Dallas Johnson
Dallas Johnson is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League and formerly the Melbourne Storm and Catalans Dragons. He plays primarily as a lock forward.Between 2007 and 2009, Johnson played in four consecutive NRL grand finals...
.
2008
Gallen attracted attention after the round 3 clash with the Titans for "grubby" play. The Sydney Morning Herald even claimed Gallen should face jail time for his facial assault on Anthony LaffranchiAnthony Laffranchi
Anthony Laffranchi is an Australian professional rugby league player for St Helens RLFC in the European Super League. He primarily plays in the second-row. He previously played for the Wests Tigers...
, where he allegedly attempted to rip the stitches out of Laffranchi's head wound. Titans player Josh Graham also claimed that Gallen clutched his testicles although this was not proven.
Gallen was selected for all three games in the annual State of Origin
2008 Rugby League State of Origin series
The 2008 State of Origin series was the 27th year that the annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches contested between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams was played under 'State of Origin' selection rules...
series. In the third and decisive game of the series Gallen gave away three penalties and came under heavy criticism from fans for his lack of discipline, in particular for his late hit on Johnathan Thurston. Gallen described the loss as the worst of his career but defended himself saying "they've been saying that those three penalties cost us the game. But there's no way in the world that anyone can say that." Due to his ill discipline in the deciding match, there were calls for Gallen to be sacked as captain of the Sharks but coach Ricky Stuart came out and backed Gallen saying that he should remain the club captain.
In round 18, Gallen scored Cronulla's only try in the top of the table clash in which the Sharks lost to Manly by 34 points to 6. Gallen described the heavy defeat as embarrassing. In the following match against the Newcastle Knights, Gallen was put on report for a high shot on Cooper Vuna
Cooper Vuna
Kerry Cooper Vuna is a professional rugby union player. He played league, on the wing for the Newcastle Knights , before switching to rugby union to play wing for the Melbourne Rebels.-Early years:...
. He also gave away several other penalties and claimed that the referees were targeting him.
In 2008 Gallen represented Australia in the Centenary test, scoring a try.
In August Gallen was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
, and in October 2008 he was selected in the final 24-man Australia squad.
2009
Although the Cronulla Sharks sat on the bottom of the 2009 NRL ladder after six rounds, Paul Gallen was named in the preliminary 40 man squad for NSW for 2009's State of Origin Series. He was selected for Australia in the one-off test match against New ZealandNew Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
on 8 May 2009.
Further, in 2009, Gallen attracted public outrage for racially abusing an opponent, namely the Dragons player Mickey Paea
Mickey Paea
Mickey Paea is an Australian rugby league player of Tongan descent who currently plays for the Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League competition.-Playing career:...
.
The incident gained attention initially, due to the angry reaction of Paea, who is normally a quietly reserved player with strong religious beliefs. After the event, there were reports Gallen would be stripped of his captaincy. However, pre-empting this, on 1 June 2009, Gallen voluntarily stepped down from his sharks captaincy. Trent Barett took over as full time captain, however due to his season ending injury, Luke Covell was selected as his replacement.
In December, 2009, Paul Gallen was issued with a criminal infringement notice for urinating in public near the head of a drunken friend.
2010
Gallen was left out of the first match of the State of Origin2010 State of Origin series
The 2010 State of Origin series was the 29th year that the annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches contested between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams was played under 'State of Origin' selection rules...
side but was selected for the two remaining matches. In the second game he was placed on report for a high shot on Nate Myles
Nate Myles
Nate Myles is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative forward, he previously played for the Bulldogs club...
in the twenty-third minute. However, his performance was still impressive enough to lead Daily Telegraph Sports editor-at-large, Phil Rothfield, to postulate, that of all the NSW players, Gallen would be the only one that Queensland would select if he was theoretically available for them (in place of Ashley Harrison
Ashley Harrison
Ashley Harrison is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the NRL...
). In the final match of the series, Gallen scored his sides first try just before half time and set up team mate Kurt Gidley
Kurt Gidley
Kurt Gidley is a professional Australian rugby league player and captain of the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative fullback he has played his entire NRL career to date with the Knights. He is the younger brother of Matthew...
for their second try just after the interval.
2011
Paul was selected for the Games I, II and III of the 2011 State of Origin series2011 State of Origin series
The 2011 State of Origin series was the 30th annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams contested under "State of Origin" selection rules. Game I was played in Brisbane, Game II was played in Sydney and...
as well as for the Australian team. Paul scored his first try of the season in Round 3 against the Panthers. Sharks won that game 44-12. He continued scoring tries and as of Round 16, he has scored 6 tries. In State of Origin II Gal was controversially selected to play prop and became the first prop to play 80 minutes in an origin match since Glenn Lazarus
Glenn Lazarus
Glenn Patrick Lazarus is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s who has been named amongst the nation's finest of the 20th century. He primarily played at prop forward, representing Australia internationally and New South Wales in State of Origin...
in 1998. His performance was recognized as one of the greatest ever in the blue jersey earning him the reward of man of the match. Paul also limped into the 2011 Anzac test match and was awarded Man of the Match.
In round 26 2011 Paul Gallen played his 200th game of First grade football. He play in front of his home ground at Sharks Park, but the atmosphere was a good feeling. But he didn't win the game, but him personally had an great match. The final score was 22 to the sharks and 30 to the tigers.
On 3 November 2011 The annual RLIF Awards
RLIF Awards
The Rugby League International Federation currently oversees and awards the major international sporting award for rugby league on an annual basis and has done so since its inception in 2004....
dinner was held at the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
and Gallen was named loose forward
Loose forward
Loose forward may refer to playing positions in both rugby football sports:* Rugby league positions, in rugby league football* Rugby union positions, in rugby union football...
of the year.
Career highlights
- Junior Clubs: OLQP Bulldogs Greystanes, Wentworthville
- First Grade Debut: Round 15, Sharks v Parramatta at Toyota Park, 3 June 2001
- First Grade Record: 200 appearances scoring 46 tries
- Representative Matches: One Game for NSW City, 2006– 10Games for NSW scoring one try, 16 games for Australia scoring two tries
External links
- Cronulla Sharks profile
- State of Origin Official website Rugby League Player Stats
- Paul Gallen NRL Profile