Paul Gallen explains his decision to dodge retirement and play on for one more year
PAUL Gallen sat inside Shane Flanagan’s office in mid-August. There were no agents, no football department staff. Just a coach and his captain — and a word of advice on a veteran’s next move.
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“YOU’RE a long time retired.”
Those were the five words Paul Gallen shared with Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan when deciding whether he should defy age and play one more season.
Gallen sat inside Flanagan’s office underneath the southern grandstand at Southern Cross Group Stadium in mid-August. There were no player agents present, no football department staff. Just a coach and his captain.
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“I didn’t know what to do for a while, it was confusing. It all came around really, really quickly,” Gallen said of the decision.
“It was the week before we played our second last home game and I was thinking: ‘I need to make a decision — I can’t keep ‘um-ing and ah-ing’.”
On Monday, Gallen, who will turn 38 towards the latter end of next season, revealed the conversation which sent him into a 19th season of NRL football.
Flanagan: “You need to tell me if you want to play or not?”
Gallen: “I think I do. You’re a long time retired. At the moment, I don’t see why I should retire.”
Flanagan: “Well, good, because I think we’re a better team and a better club with you here. I’m not going to retire you. You need to make the decision yourself.”
Gallen says that was “the moment” he knew he would be a Shark again next year.
“We just discussed what it would entail next year,” Gallen said. “Flanno said if I played 10, 15, 20 games, whatever it may be, we would be a better club and team and you can help some of these young guys come through.”
Asked how he would have reacted if Flanagan had denied him a final season, Gallen said: “I would have accepted it. I told him earlier in the year that if he wanted me to retire I would happily retire.
“I told him we could announce it and organise the rest of the year.
“He told me he based all his decisions on ability, not age. He said I was still doing the job for us.
“It was my decision. My wife (Anne) kept saying: ‘No one is going to make the decision for you. You need to make it yourself.’
“What a lifestyle I live. You get to play rugby league, train every day, stay fit and healthy, hang out with mates.
“I know the game is hard and there is a lot of pressure and expectation but I am doing something I have loved since I was a kid. Why would I want to just give it up? If I’ve got the ability to keep doing it I will keep doing it.”
Gallen is now preparing for another finals assault.
He and his in-form Sharks confront the Sydney Roosters in what should be a ripping qualifying final at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
Cronulla have won four successive games and remain quietly confidence of springing an upset over the Roosters.
“I don’t think we have been outstanding, we certainly haven’t hit our straps but we have been in every game, which I think is important,” Gallen said.
“We have some improvement left in us and, fingers crossed, we can bring it out. That consistency will hold us in good stead but, having said that, we still have to go to another level for semi-final football.”
And the man who could lead his club to triumph is Sharks star Val Holmes, arguably the NRL’s form player.
“We are a consistent team but we have to find that little bit more flair and I think we have found that in the past few weeks with Val,” Gallen said.
“We have scored over 30 points in the last couple of weeks. If we can score 30 points in a semi-final, you’d like to back us to win, especially with our defence.
“Over the last six weeks, Val has really started to get the fullback role down pat. It has been a work in progress for him over a couple of years now. He is starting to get that ball-playing right, which he needs to do.
“It’s great him scoring tries but I love him helping to set them us as well. He’s going great, no doubt about that.”
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