How Paul Gallen helped Cronulla recruit NRL stars
Paul Gallen has not only led Cronulla to their greatest success on the field, but the retiring captain has been responsible for some of the biggest signings in the Sharks’ history.
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Wade Graham was considering a switch to the Sharks when he fielded a call from Paul Gallen.
So did Aaron Woods. And Josh Morris.
The Cronulla skipper has been more than just the team’s on-field leader; he doubled as chief recruitment officer.
Josh Dugan described Gallen as “keeping the Sharks on the map”. The influence Gallen wielded was evident by the stars he attracted to the club.
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Ahead of Gallen’s final home game on Sunday, Graham paid tribute to the teammate he said “easily had the most influence” on his career.
“The footy story ends but the relationship will last forever,” Graham said. “Galza’s phone call sparked me coming to Cronulla. He was really hands on with recruiting me to the club. It was a big vote of confidence He was the captain of Cronulla, NSW and vice-captain of Australia.
“It was a clincher for me. I was leaning towards North Queensland … It hasn’t always been smooth sailing but in the end I don’t regret a thing.
“He let me know the vision of the club and what the club was like. He let me know what he thought I could add to the club. It was Flanno’s (former coach Shane Flanagan) first time taking over head coach. He used Gal in his pocket to help with recruitment. He was really hands on.
“He sold the club well … His values and what he was talking about mirrored up in my head.”
Graham joked half of his Cronulla teammates weren’t born when Gallen made his debut in 2001. Nor most of the sold out crowd at PointsBet Stadium this Sunday when Gallen runs out for the final home game of his career against Canberra.
His influence has not detracted all this years later.
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Woods was on the end of a Gallen phone call before he joined the club midway through last year.
“He rang me up and said ‘what’s taking you so long’,” Woods said. “He just told me ‘when are you getting here’. He said ‘c’mon mate you need to play finals footy’. He asked how I’ve been going. He wanted me to be happy again and enjoying my footy.”
Morris was a bit of a slow-burn when it came to Gallen. The pair played plenty of representative football alongside each other and Gallen was persistent in trying to entice Morris to the club.
“I lived in the area for the last 10 years, whenever I’ve seen him he has been trying to get me across the whole time,” Morris said.
“It worked out I’m here this year. One of the main reasons coming across was to play alongside Gal.
“I am lucky enough to have played alongside him in rep teams. His Origin performances — there wasn’t a bad game. He had that weight and expectation on his shoulders but he rolled up his sleeve every game. To be able to play 80 minutes in the front-row shows what sort of player he is.”