#ThanksGal

As a life-long Sharks fan, two things have remained constant over the past 15 years:

1. Every win will be made more difficult than it needs to be

2. Paul Gallen will be running out in the 13 and leading from the front.

Love him or hate him, and even within Sharks fans it's a decent split, it's absolutely undeniable what Paul Gallen has done for the club I've grown up supporting during his illustrious career.

I wasn't around during the day of Steve Rogers and I only remember the mid to tail end of ET's career, but as a 30 year + Sharks fan, Paul Gallen is almost unarguably the greatest Shark I've ever seen.

Again, there will be plenty of detractors and we all know the controversy the simple mentioning of his name stirs up, but that's for another time and another place.

Shark number 339. Number 13. Captain. Gal!

As he prepares to run out for the final time at Pointsbet Stadium this Sunday afternoon, a monster crowd will greet him. There will be more than a few of us with tears in our eyes.

My eight year-old son knows nothing other than a Paul Gallen led Sharks outfit. At 33 year of age, I barely remember a time when a team list was named without Paul Gallen's name. (Save for a few rounds around Origin time each season)

The stories have surfaced this week about the time Gallen turned down massive money to move to Newcastle and Manly to stay a one-club player.

What won't be highlighted are the seasons where Paul Gallen almost literally carried both the team and the club on his back.

The Sharks have been through some dark times. Horror times. Gallen had every right to throw up his arms and walk away into a massive contract elsewhere, but it's just not in his make up.

Forget that recency-bias filled NRL.com team of the decade. Paul Gallen has been the game's superior lock for over ten years.

Corey Parker and Jason Taumalolo both have good cases but no player has been so important for so long as Paul Gallen.

24 Origins for NSW during some of the worst times to be a Blue, 32 Kangaroos jumpers. Many of those rep jumpers came in the front row too.

Gallen lifted the Origin shield for New South Wales for the first time in almost a decade in 2014. He had been a hero for the state for many years prior.

Few will forget his incredible 10/10 rated performance for New South Wales in 2011. During the most dominant Origin era ever, Gallen almost single handidly kept the Blues in the series with a monster display in the middle.

It's a shame his rep career took place during such a Maroon dominant period as he had every right to lift that Shield on many more occasions. That said, 2014 will never be forgotten.

That said, it's his, hopefully 351 game career in the black, white and blue that will define him.

Again, I simply cannot put into words how important the name Paul Gallen has been to keeping the sharks relevant, and honestly alive.

There were years where we named Paul Gallen, the likes of a Carney, Jeremy Smith, Kimmorley etc and then a few fringe first graders that other clubs didn't want.

I don't mean to be disrespectful to other Sharks players of those eras, but with the game on the line Gallen was forced to take two or three hit ups in every set. I say forced but he wouldn't have it any other way.

One afternoon in Canberra I remember Gallen taking two hit ups in the set, only to call for the ball on the blind side on the fifth, with around a minute to go. He charged through three or four defenders and slammed the ball down to win a game the Raiders had bossed for the majority.

Jokes will be made re the fourth tackle settlers but even at 38 Gallen has been our go to forward in 2019.

236 metres for Gallen against the Cowboys in round 19. The next highest forward was Taumalolo with 186.

In a must win game it was the veteran who played big minutes and made the metres.

He was second in the forwards only to the ginormous Andrew Fifita just this past Saturday against a huge Warriors pack.

I expect another 150+ metres against the Raiders this weekend, hopefully ending with a successful conversion from in front of a ice a victory.

No matter what happens this weekend, or in the weeks following, as a Sharks fan it is difficult to imagine a side or season without the great man.

In terms of what he will be remembered for, it could very much be as being the greatest Sharks of the modern era. He has certainly been the most important.

The heart and soul of a working class club.

As for what I will remember most? ...

October 2nd, 2016. "Turn your porch lights off cause we're coming home with the trophy".