Paul Gallen to celebrate 300 NRL games

LOVE him or hate him, Paul Gallen has done it all in his NRL career. Some good, some bad, but where does he sit at the end of it all?

Paul Gallen at Southern Cross Group Stadium in Sydney. Picture: AAP / Craig Golding.

PAUL Gallen polarises the rugby league world. Some love him, some hate him.

A past sullied by a drugs suspension, goes on the list alongside an NRL premiership, glorious State of Origin career and international supremacy.

He may not enter the conversation of all-time greats like Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith and others.

But as the Cronulla Sharks captain prepares to reach his 300th NRL game, two of his biggest rivals have come out in his defence.

Wests Tigers star Aaron Woods was just a 10-year-old boy when Gallen made his debut back in 2001. They’ve locked horns on several occasions, even shared a front row for New South Wales in the Origin arena.

Seventeen years after first gracing first grade, Gallen is still going strong, and Woods is full of praise.

Tigers Aaron Woods tackled by the Shark's Paul Gallen.

“I got to play New South Wales with him, and he was my captain at the same time,” Woods told NRL 360. “He was a great and inspirational leader.

“He has been a one-club player for some time and the tackles and metres he produces week in, week out, he increases every year.”

“To get the Grand Final last year was icing on the cake for him. I can’t believe he’s still playing, but the numbers he’s dishing up at the same time is unbelievable.”

Paul Gallen and Aaron Woods during warm up drills for the NSW Blues Origin team.

Woods admits the Sharks’ skipper was the measuring stick when he entered first-grade.

The Wests Tigers captain says opposition forward packs would circle the calendar for any showdown with Gallen, but admits stopping the Sharks man was another story altogether.

“He’s the leader of their pack, you want to go after someone each week,” Woods said.

“When I first played first-grade, it was ‘We’re playing Paul Gallen this week, how good is it’, one of the best of the best, you just want to test yourself and see how you go.

“I remember the first time I played him, you come from the 20s (Holden Cup) and the wrestling isn’t that big.

“You put a big shot on him and try to wrestle him to the ground and he goes straight to his front and it’s just like turning a rock — it’s unbelievable.”

Paul Gallen of the Sharks is tackled by James Graham and Aiden Tolman of the Bulldogs.

Bulldogs’ enforcer James Graham has gone toe-to-toe with Gallen over his time in the NRL, and says the Blues’ legend has never shied away from hard work over his almost 300 career games.

“To make 300 is a big occasion, but the intensity he plays at, that just makes it that extra bit special,” Graham said.

“He never shies away from work, he’s consistently in the contest. You see it every tackle he’s involved in, every run he’s involved in — he wants to win that contest.

“He’s so competitive, to still be playing the way he is, at this age, just speaks volume, the way he trains. He trains really hard still, he doesn’t rest on his laurels.”

GALLEN CALLS CRISIS MEETING

Dejected Paul Gallen of the Sharks after the match between the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Canberra Raiders.

Paul Gallen has revealed the team held a players-only meeting on Monday to reignite their stuttering premiership defence.

Gallen said coach Shane Flanagan had every right to tear shreds off his men after what he described as “one of our worst performances in the past couple of years” against Canberra.

Ahead of his 300th milestone match, Gallen challenged his teammates to respond as they fight for an all-important top-four spot.

“Flanno let a lot of us know what he thought, which is fair enough. That’s his job and it’s up to us as a playing group to respond to that,” Gallen said on Tuesday.

“We had a good meeting yesterday internally — just the boys — and spoke about where we think we’re at. Fingers crossed we can get out there on Friday night and show our resolve, show that we are a tough side and get out there and play well.”

Cronulla's Paul Gallen during Cronulla Sharks rugby league training at Southern Cross Group Stadium.

The Sharks’ defeat to the Raiders conjured memories of their sudden drop-off in form leading into last year’s finals campaign, when they won one of their final six regular-season games.

However Gallen is confident the hunger would return once a top-four finish is clinched, which is likely to be achieved with a win over the third-placed Broncos.

“I remember we did have a couple of bad weeks to be honest, we fell short against Canberra and I think the Dragons at one stage,” he said.

“It’s hard to remember exactly what we were feeling last year, but I just want to drive into these boys that we’ve got an opportunity to do well this year.

“We’ve got a good side and we’ve got to make the most of it. “Just get into those semi-finals in the top four, and you’ll see that hunger come back and fight tooth and nail because we know what it’s like to be in a grand final and win one.”

Five-eighth James Maloney is certain to return from a hand injury after training on Tuesday, however Jack Bird is out with a shoulder complaint. Kurt Capewell is set to deputise for Bird in the centres.