The skipper who managed to finally bring the trophy home to the Sutherland Shire after 50 years of trying, the Grand Final win capped an outstanding career for current club captain Paul Gallen.
“Turn the porch lights off, we’re bring the trophy home,” Gallen proclaimed at ANZ Stadium following the win over the Storm, with his leadership and never-say-die attitude instrumental in the Sharks success.
Gallen joined the Sharks in 2001, debuting in round 15 against his junior club the Eels. Few could have imagined the career he would build from there, with Gallen playing 281 games for Cronulla, along with 24 matches for NSW, many of those as captain, and 32 Test matches for Australia.
With an huge engine that enabled him to play big minutes each week, Gallen would rack up impressive individual stats on a regular basis, however it was team success which he craved, the Grand Final win in 2016 the culmination of all his previous efforts.
The Sharks captain courageous’, Gallen epitomised the hard-nosed attitude of the teams in which he played.
There have been some great lock-forwards play at the Sharks in their 50-year history. Is Gallen the greatest?
