Paul Gallen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paul Gallen

Gallen in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Paul Mark Gallen
Born	(1981-08-14) 14 August 1981 (age 43) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	102 kg (225 lb; 16 st 1 lb)
Playing information
Position	Lock, Prop, Second-row
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2001–19 Cronulla Sharks 348 63 48 1 321 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2006 NSW City 2 0 1 0 2 2006–16 New South Wales 24 1 1 0 6 2006–07 Prime Minister's XIII 2 0 0 0 0 2008–16 Australia 32 3 0 0 12 2011–12 NRL All Stars 2 0 0 0 0
As of 31 May 2021
Paul Gallen Statistics Rated at Heavyweight Height 180 cm Reach 180 cm Stance Orthodox Boxing record Total fights 18 Wins 15 Wins by KO 8 Losses 2 Draws 1

Paul Gallen (born 14 August 1981) is an Australian who used to play professional rugby league and is now a professional professional boxer. In rugby league, he played as a forward (lock, prop and second-row). He famously captained the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks to their very first NRL Premiership win in 2016.

Gallen was also a captain for the New South Wales State of Origin team. He was the vice-captain for the Australian national team. He played his entire NRL career with the Sharks. In 2018, he was the oldest player still playing in the NRL. He shares the record for playing the most seasons in Australian first-grade rugby league, with 19 seasons.

Early Life and Rugby League Beginnings

Paul Gallen started playing junior rugby league for the Wentworthville Magpies. He was part of the Parramatta Eels junior team, playing in the S. G. Ball Cup. However, the Eels decided not to keep him. Gallen then signed with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. He later said that he felt he wasn't given a real chance at Parramatta, which made him want to move to another club.

Rugby League Playing Career

Starting Out: 2001–2003

In June 2001, Gallen played his first NRL game for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. This was against the Parramatta Eels at Toyota Park. The Sharks lost that game. He played one more game that season, which the Sharks won.

Gallen scored his first try in 2002 against the Canberra Raiders. He played 21 games that season. In 2003, during a game against the Newcastle Knights, Gallen was sent off for a high tackle. He played 17 games in 2003 and scored five tries.

Challenges and Successes: 2004–2005

In 2004, Gallen was suspended for two weeks after a fight in a game. He also hurt his elbow, which kept him out for a few weeks. Later that year, he scored two tries in a win against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. Gallen also signed a new contract to stay with the Sharks for three more seasons. He played 19 games and scored five tries in 2004.

In 2005, Cronulla-Sutherland had their biggest win ever, beating the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 68-6. Gallen scored a try in this game. The Sharks made it to the finals but lost to their rivals, St. George-Illawarra. Gallen scored a try in that final game. He won the Sharks' Chairman's Award for his great season. He was also nominated for "Best Lock" at the 2005 Dally M Awards. Gallen ran more metres with the ball than any other player in the NRL in 2005.

Representative Honours and Club Loyalty: 2006–2007

Before the 2006 season, Gallen had back surgery but returned to play much faster than expected. He earned his first representative jersey, playing for City in the annual City vs Country Origin match. He was later picked for the New South Wales State of Origin team for the third game of the series. Gallen also played for the Prime Minister's XIII squad against Papua New Guinea. At the end of 2006, he won the Sharks' supporters player of the year award.

In 2007, there was talk that Gallen might leave the Sharks. However, he decided to stay, signing a four-year deal. He said he wanted to win a premiership with Cronulla because it would be a historic moment for the club. He also mentioned that his father wanted him to stay. Gallen faced some injuries early in the season but kept playing. He was selected for State of Origin again and played well, even getting into a fight early in the game to fire up his team. He helped New South Wales win the third game of the series.

Captaincy and Controversies: 2008–2010

Gallen playing for Australia against New Zealand at the 2008 Rugby League World Cup

In 2008, Gallen was criticized for some of his actions on the field. He played in all three games of the 2008 Rugby League State of Origin series. He was criticized for giving away penalties in the final game, which New South Wales lost. Despite this, his coach supported him as captain of the Sharks. Gallen also represented Australia in the 2008 Centenary Rugby League Test and was part of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup squad.

In 2009, Gallen was named in the preliminary squad for New South Wales State of Origin. He also played for Australia against New Zealand. In May 2009, Gallen caused public upset for using a racial slur. He later chose to step down as Cronulla captain.

For the 2010 ANZAC Test, Gallen played for Australia. He was selected for the last two games of the 2010 State of Origin series. In the final game, he scored a try and helped set up another.

Peak Performance and Challenges: 2011–2014

Gallen with partner Anne in 2012.

Gallen played in all three games of the 2011 State of Origin series and also for Australia. In State of Origin II, he played the full 80 minutes as a prop, which is very rare, and was named man of the match. At the end of 2011, he was named Lock Forward of the Year at the RLIF Awards.

Gallen captained New South Wales again in the 2012 State of Origin series. At the 2012 Dally M Awards, he was named the NRL's lock forward of the year.

In 2013, Gallen played for Australia in the 2013 ANZAC Test. He was also named captain of the New South Wales Blues for the 2013 State of Origin series. He led his team to a win in game one. During this game, he was involved in an incident where he punched an opponent. This led to a new rule that players would be sent to the sin-bin for any punches thrown in future Origin matches.

In 2014, Gallen was part of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks supplements saga. He and other players accepted a reduced ban after admitting they had unknowingly used banned substances. Gallen later apologized for an offensive tweet he sent about the situation. Before the 2014 State of Origin series, Gallen called Queensland fans "Two Heads." He then captained New South Wales to victory, ending Queensland's eight-series winning streak.

Final Seasons and Premiership Glory: 2015–2019

Gallen continued to captain New South Wales in the State of Origin series in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, after New South Wales lost the series, some experts criticized the team's leadership. However, Gallen remained captain for the third game, which New South Wales won.

Later in 2016, Gallen captained Cronulla-Sutherland to the 2016 NRL Grand Final. They won the game 14-12 against the Melbourne Storm. This was the Sharks' first premiership in their 49-year history, a huge moment for the club. Gallen played a key role, helping to set up the first try.

In 2017, Gallen played in the last ever City v Country match. In a finals game against North Queensland, Gallen almost scored a match-winning try but lost the ball. Cronulla was then eliminated in extra time.

In 2018, Gallen became a TV panelist. He also became the first NRL player to achieve 50,000 running metres in games. He played 21 games for Cronulla as they reached the preliminary final. Gallen signed a contract to play in 2019, making him the first player to play 19 seasons with one NRL club. He also spoke out about a player leaving the NRL for the NFL, which caused some debate with other former players.

In 2019, Gallen responded to comments from Cameron Smith about the Melbourne Storm's past premierships. Gallen defended Cronulla's 2016 premiership, explaining the differences in their salary cap issues. He also became the player with the most losses in NRL history. In a game against the Gold Coast Titans, Gallen scored a try and kicked his first career goal. He kicked another goal later in the season. In August 2019, Gallen was named one of the best players of the decade for the NRL. He also turned down a large contract offer from another club to stay loyal to Cronulla. Gallen's final game was in the elimination final against Manly-Warringah, which Cronulla lost.

Boxing Career

Gallen started boxing as an amateur in 2012. His first fight was against a New Zealand rugby union player, Hikawera Elliot, whom he defeated. The next year, he won another amateur fight against Liam Messam.

In 2014, Gallen became a professional boxer. He won his first professional fight by technical knockout. He later had surgery for an infection but continued his boxing career, winning his second professional fight quickly. He won his next two fights by points decisions.

On 9 February 2019, Gallen fought former rugby league player John Hopoate and won by knockout in the second round. In the middle of 2019, he fought former Australian rules football player Barry Hall. The fight went the full six rounds and ended in a draw.

After two more wins, Gallen challenged Justis Huni for the Australian heavyweight title in June 2021. Gallen lost this fight in the final round, which was his first loss in his boxing career.

Professional Boxing Record

Television Career

Gallen has worked as a TV presenter. From 2013 to 2015, he was a panelist on SportsFan Clubhouse, a sports show on 7mate.

Since 2018, he has been on 100% Footy, a rugby league show on Channel Nine. He also sometimes appears on Sports Sunday and Nine's Rugby League Coverage.

Before the 2020 State of Origin series, Gallen said the Queensland team was the "worst" in Origin history. Queensland went on to win the series, surprising many. Gallen defended his comments, saying they were fair. In 2024, Gallen filmed a small role for the ABC series Plum.

Achievements and Awards

Individual Awards

• 3x Dally M Lock of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2017
• 3x RLIF Lock of the Year: 2008, 2011, 2012
• 2x Harry Sunderland Medal: 2010, 2011
• RLW Player of the Year: 2010
• Brad Fittler Medal: 2011
• Wally Lewis Medal: 2014
• Peter Frilingos Memorial Award: 2011

Team Honours

• Cronulla Sharks
  • 2016 NRL Grand Final Winners
  • 2017 World Club Series Runner-up
  • Cronulla Sharks Life Member

• New South Wales
  • State of Origin Series Wins: 2014

• Australia
  • Rugby League World Cup: 2013
  • Rugby League Four Nations: 2009, 2011

Images for kids

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  Gallen in 2009