Gal: Danger for breakout star as 'big dollars' await

Braydon Trindall had the best game of his career the other night and it's been a long time coming for the Sharks playmaker - but now he needs to back it up. He has bided his time. He has done the hard yards to get to where he wanted to get to. But now, it's a matter of him playing good every week. It's not hard for someone to have a good game - he had a great game the other day - but the challenge for him is to play like that more often than not. When you talk about the Johnahan Thurstons and Cameron Smiths of the world, they used to do that every week and to be a good player, that's what you've got to do. He's a hard worker and he obviously had an off-field problem this year, but to his credit he put his hand up straight away and accepted responsibility. It was an unfortunate incident and the situation he put himself in wasn't right - but he's gone back to being who he is. I can't say that indiscretion has changed him. He has always been a guy who works hard, turns up to training and does his job every week. Since he's come back, he has played good footy and it was good to see him have a breakout game the other night. To expect him to play like that every week might be a big ask, but getting him to play near that standard on a consistent basis is the challenge for him. The next issue for the Sharks will be whether they can retain Trindall beyond next year. Any playmaker who comes off-contract is probably a concern, because there's not a lot of good ones around. The timing of that game he played is pretty good for him, but anyone can play a good game and the challenge is to back it up. If you want to be an elite player and earn the big dollars, you've got to play good every week. I'm not sure what he's thinking about where he wants to be in the future, but the Sharks have been pretty good to him for a long time and stuck by him - he was back at the club when I was playing. I'd imagine he is pretty tight with the Sharks boys and everyone at the club, so I hope he stays. As for this weekend's prelim final against the Panthers, if they can play like they did on Friday night in the first half, they can beat anyone. They just need to find that consistency for the 80 minutes.

Why Latrell should be 'dirty' as Bunnies penalty looms

Paul Gallen has put South Sydney on blast and says Latrell Mitchell should be "dirty" if the club tries to impose a monetary fine or suspension on him.Gallen doubled down on his criticism of the Rabbitohs after first accusing the club of not dealing with Mitchell properly on Monday night's 100% Footy. Mitchell fronted the club board last week after an image was leaked of him bent over a table with what appears to be a white substance in front of him. The photo was allegedly taken in a Dubbo hotel room the weekend prior. Mitchell remains sidelined with a foot injury and will not play again this season. It is the latest indiscretion for the Bunnies superstar, who is reportedly earning $1.2 million a season from the NRL club. "I'm not trying to bag Latrell here... he put himself in a situation he probably shouldn't have been in, he's got to accept responsibility for that," Gallen said on Wide World of sports' 2GB radio on Tuesday. "But this is just a vicious circle, this is what happens every time - he does something silly or says something silly, gets suspended, does something stupid, the whole world jumps on him. "Then he comes back, plays football the way we all know he can play, becomes the best player in the game, does crazy things that other people can't do, then all of a sudden what do we want to do? We want to interview him again. "So we interview him again, the media get involved, we start asking him about this and that and then Latrell says things like 'I'll do what I want, I'll say how I want'... then what happens, it's like a vicious circle." Gallen says the onus needs to be on South Sydney. "I don't mind if he says that, but privately someone at the South Sydney club - the captain or the coach - is getting hold of him and telling him the way it should be, but I don't think that happens at South Sydney," Gallen said.

Gal: 'Ridiculous' problem new Eels coach must end

 And I'll give Eels fans the hot tip now - any turnaround in their form is not going to happen overnight. They were not up to the standard of the Roosters on Friday, even on a super-wet ground that should have brought the two teams closer together in terms of a contest. It is going to take Ryles at least a year to knock the team and the roster into shape and get the squad he actually wants. Some players are already leaving or have been tapped on the shoulder, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are more changes to come. My concern for Ryles is he's about to walk into an environment he's never experienced before in his coaching career. Ryles has been an assistant at the Roosters and the Storm - the two most powerful and professional clubs in the game. Those two clubs have a reputation of being the two best cultures in the whole NRL. Players tend to want to play for them and as a result they end up going to Melbourne or to Bondi for less money, and staying longer. The culture is so good that players often don't want to leave and play for a different club. At the moment Parramatta seems almost the opposite of that. The power is completely with the players at the Eels - everything about the club is geared towards them. At the Storm and Roosters players want to play for the club. At the Eels it's more like the players run the show and play for themselves. Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown - two of the modern-day great players - have been allowed to put ridiculous clauses in their contracts. Brown is signed to 2031 but the last six years of that deal are options to extend in his favour. I had never seen a contract like that before and I don't know why a club would agree to something like that. And Moses' contract is almost as strange - he has options in his favour for 2027 and 2028. So you've got you two best and highest paid stars basically able to walk away from the club whenever they like. Do you think the Storm or the Roosters would ever sign a deal like that? No chance. And if you think Ryles is going to let the Eels do a deal like that again under his watch, think again. There are always rumours linking players like Moses and Brown to other clubs - whether they are true or not I have no idea. But as long as the players have clauses in their contract that say they can up and leave at any time, the rumours are never going to go away. It's a distraction Ryles will have no interest in entertaining as head coach.

Twist in feud between Cronulla premiership winners Paul Gallen and Chad Townsend

The feud between Cronulla premiership-winning stars Paul Gallen and Chad Townsend is over. After over a week of unsavoury headlines about how the pair had fallen out since the Sharks' memorable 2016 grand final triumph, Townsend reached out to his former teammate and the pair are friends once again. "Gal and I have spoken on the phone and everything is fine," Townsend told Wide World of Sports. "I'm looking forward to seeing him and the rest of my 2016 teammates for our reunion in the near future." Townsend even put a photo of their pair hugging at Accor Stadium after the grand final triumph over the Storm on his social media with the caption "Brothers for life!!!". But, as always happens on Twitter - now X - the haters quickly jumped on and attacked. "Bullshit…," one tweeter declared to Townsend followed by some choice words. "It's too late to suck up now."

Tigers on notice as 'real issue' emerges with teen prodigy

Paul Gallen has put the Tigers' senior players on notice after the side's embarrassing 58-6 loss to the Sharks. Despite showing signs of promise throughout the season with four wins, the Tigers have been bitterly disappointing and currently sit last on the ladder. Coach Benji Marshall apologised to the club's fans after the loss on Friday as questions linger over the playing roster. A number of young players like Lachlan Galvin and Samuela Fainu have shown plenty of promise this season but league legend Paul Gallen believes that presents a problem for the team. "They've got guys like Lachie Galvin, who's 19, and been the best player on the field," he said on Nine's 100% Footy. "I think that's a real issue for some of their senior players who just aren't turning up and putting their best foot forward and playing as good as they possibly should be and on the money they're on I think it's crazy, I don't think it's good enough for first graders. "He's (Galvin) a kid who honestly shouldn't even be playing first grade, he should've come up, played two or three first grade games, gone back down, got confidence again, come back up again, play maybe 10 games over the entire season at the most. "Yet he's their best player, week in, week out because some of these older, senior players just aren't doing the job." The Tigers will hope to stop their recent slump this season when they play South Sydney at Gosford on Saturday.

Gallen's surprise call on 'absolute monsters'

It's been a long time since there's been this much joy at St George Illawarra, with the influence of new coach Shane Flanagan paying off for the club. After over a decade of mediocrity with very few glimmers of hope, Dragons fans have finally had something to cheer about in 2024, with the side winning four games from its opening seven matches to put itself in the mix for the top eight. Their latest effort - which saw Flanagan's side dismantle premiership contenders the Warriors 30-12 in round seven - has sparked plenty of excitement in Wollongong and extremely rare scenes of jubilation at WIN Stadium. And that level of excitement has even crept up the Princes Highway and into the Shire, with Cronulla legend Paul Gallen full of praise for his old rivals, even tipping them for an unlikely finals berth this year. "They are a good team and I think they are a big chance of the top eight," he said on Nine's 100% Footy on Monday night. "Their team up close and in person, their outside backs are the biggest blokes I've seen in my life, they are absolute monsters. They are powerful, they get their sets started well and they really help their forwards out. "Flanno is doing a great job as coach and [Kyle] Flanagan at halfback is doing a great job just controlling the team around the park. Ben Hunt is on fire at the moment and Zac Lomax is playing the best football of his career. "As a club, Flanno has just made them happier - you can see that they like playing for each other and that's what Flanno does as a coach." Flanagan and Gallen have a close relationship from their time together at the Sharks, which saw the team win their maiden premiership in 2016, and there's very few players who know exactly what the coach can bring to a side. Players who have lacked confidence in the past such as ac Lomax and Tyrell Sloan are now brimming with it, while the return to form of Jaydn Su'A has put the enforcer back in the mix for a State of Origin spot. The 58-year-old coach has even managed to change the mind of veteran halfback Ben Hunt, who was desperate to leave the Red V last year and is now weighing up an extension. St George Illawarra will take on the Roosters in the annual Anzac Day blockbuster on Thursday afternoon.

Gallen stunned as Dragons relent to $800k star

The Dragons could be set to free up $800,000 in their salary cap as Zac Lomax eyes the exit door. Lomax has been disgruntled at St George Illawarra since Shane Flanagan moved him from centre to wing, although the 24-year-old has been one of the side's best in his new position. 9news and Sydney Morning Herald reporter Michael Chammas revealed on Nine's 100% Footy that the Dragons have given the outside back permission to talk to rival clubs from 2025 and beyond. "The Eels are desperate for him, they want him this year, the Dragons are adamant that's not going to be the case, he can talk to other clubs about 2025," he said. Lomax has requested a release six times according to 2GB's Neil Breen, but Flanagan has stood his ground, stating the Dragons would need someone "very good" in return if an immediate release was to come to fruition. Former NSW Blues captain Paul Gallen was at a loss why Lomax would want to leave, stating his current form has put him in contention for Origin. "By the sounds of it he's going to go and I don't really understand why," he said on 100% Footy. "If you're picking the NSW team today or very, very soon he's in conversation for a wing spot ... if he's still in the centres he's not in the conversation. "You've got guys like Latrell Mitchell, Turbo (Tom Trbojevic), Taylan May, (Izack) Tago and Stephen Crichton of course (who can play centre for NSW). "I don't think he's in the conversation, but I think if he's on the wing he's a chance." The Dragons could replace Lomax with a cheaper option in the future, after reports they're interested in out of contract Panthers winger Sunia Turuva. Turuva has been offered a $350,000 contract by the Panthers but could command $500k on the open market.

Dragons knock back 'upset' $800k star's exit request

The Dragons have knocked back a request from Zac Lomax to negotiate with rival NRL clubs, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. The Herald reports the $800,000-a-year star's management approached the club proposing a deal that could see Lomax leave immediately. It comes as rumours swirl that Parramatta is keen to bring Lomax to Sydney's west to add him to the backline. The Eels are said to be willing to play Lomax at centre - his preferred position. New St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan on Sunday conceded Lomax is "upset" at being shifted to the wing this year, despite starring in a shock victory over the Titans on Saturday. But the Red V is adamant the homegrown star won't be leaving this year. Lomax is contracted until the end of 2025, meaning rivals can't legally negotiate with him until November 1 this year. The Dragons last year were filthy at rivals trying to lure away halfback Ben Hunt. The news that Lomax is disgruntled under Flanagan has baffled some commentators, with Sharks legend Paul Gallen on Monday clipping the young Dragon. "I don't know why he's not happy," Gallen told Wide World of Sports. "At the end of the day it's a team sport, and when you've got a coach like Shane Flanagan... he's been there and done it at all different levels. "I actually think it's a great position for Zac Lomax. Centres probably touch the ball less than wingers these days." The Dragons take on the Dolphins on Sunday.

Sharks ask Gallen to meet secret US billionaire

NRL great Paul Gallen was asked to meet a secret billionaire while in America as part of a sponsorship push by Cronulla powerbrokers. The former Sharks captain revealed on 2GB's Wide World of Sports radio that Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta and chairman Steve Mace will fly to New York next week to meet the mystery money man. Gallen - who led Cronulla to a drought-breaking premiership in 2016 and later made a name, and plenty of money, for himself as a boxer - was asked to join the pair after working for Nine at the Las Vegas double header on Sunday. "That's true," Gallen told 2GB host Mark Levy during Monday night's program. "Dino Mezzatesta and Steve Mace, as far as I know, will be flying in a private jet from Las Vegas to New York, spending a couple of days in New York and will be meeting this particular person. "Hopefully trying to get some sponsorship, I don't know whether they will or not. "Apparently he's got plenty of dollars and he's a big Sharkies fan, lives over there in America, he's involved in IT." Gallen joked he had to turn Mezzatesta, Mace and the billionaire down given his media responsibilities in Australia. The retired forward is a regular on Levy's radio show as well as Nine's 100% Footy and NRL broadcasts. "You wouldn't let me off though mate, so I'll be home ready to rip in," he joked to Levy.

Gallen rips Manly for baffling $2.4m decision

League legend Paul Gallen has questioned Manly's decision to hand a long-term lucrative contract to struggling youngster Josh Schuster.The 22-year-old is reportedly set to be dropped from the Sea Eagles team ahead of Sunday's clash with Canterbury.That revelation follows a dismal performance in round 25 where Schuster played only 27 minutes in a loss to the Warriors, didn't run the ball once and made just eight tackles, as well as an error.He has loads of raw talent but the knock has constantly been on his fitness and his desire to work hard to get the best out of his career.He was axed by new Manly coach Anthony Seibold earlier this year and given a public clip by club captain Daly Cherry-Evans, who said "if you're not willing to work hard enough, if you're not willing to sacrifice, you just don't last long (in the NRL)".Despite this, the club handed Schuster a three-year contract extension barely two months later, promising him $800,000 a season until the end of 2027.Now poised to be dropped to reserve grade for a second time this season, Gallen took aim at Manly management."I don't know what they do with him - $800,000 a year until 2027, how has someone signed him to that sort of contract?" Gallen said on 100% Footy.

Gallen reveals motive behind Luai's Penrith exit

Phil Gould says he doesn't see "any reason whatsoever" why Jarome Luai, who just split with his management company, would want to depart the Panthers.But Paul Gallen has questioned if the representative five-eighth could be motivated by steering a struggling club to success.Fears of Luai fleeing the Panthers are heightened after Danny Weidler revealed in the Sun-Herald that Luai had lost a contract worth $100,000 following a break-up with management company SFX Sports Group.There were already concerns that Luai could become a free agent on November 1 in a pursuit to become a $1 million-a-season player — a pay slip he might not be able to secure at the Panthers because of the powerhouse club's salary-cap squeeze.Penrith has coughed up a long list of gun players amid its extraordinary NRL success in recent times, including Matt Burton, Apisai Koroisau and Viliame Kikau, while Stephen Crichton is among those set to leave at the end of this season.Gould, who orchestrated Penrith's era of domination as the club's general manager for eight years from 2011, was adamant on Nine's 100% Footy on Monday night that Luai would ink a new deal with the Panthers."I don't think there's any reason whatsoever why he would be looking to leave the Panthers. That's where he's grown up and that's where he's played, he's playing with the best club in the league, the No.1 club in the country. Why would he want to move?" Gould said."I don't see any reason why he would leave Penrith, I don't think he's thinking of leaving Penrith at all and I don't know money is all that important to him, to be honest."Of the potential suitors for Luai's signature, the Bulldogs loom as a feasible destination, partly because of the moves of Burton, Kikau and coach Cameron Ciraldo from Penrith to Canterbury.Crichton will swap Panthers colours for the Bulldogs strip on a four-year deal at the completion of this season.Luai signing with the Bulldogs also fits with Gallen's argument regarding trying to turn around an embattled club."He's had success, he's won two premierships in a row, he's here this year, he's there next year, as well, if they win three in a row that's a hell of a lot of success he's had," Gallen said on 100% Footy.

Gal rips star's 'bewildering' call hurting Eels

Parramatta is facing a horror draw that could see the club equal an unwanted 24-year-old record.The Eels have started the season 0-2, going down in golden point to Melbourne and then edged out 30-26 by the Sharks.Last year's runners-up now face competition leaders Manly, two-time defending premiers Penrith and fellow heavyweights the Roosters over the next three weeks.A 0-5 start would see the Eels become the first team since Brisbane in 1999 to lose their first five matches after making the previous season's grand final.The Broncos side of 1999 won 12 of their last 14 matches to scrape into the top eight, joining Souths in 1957 as the only two sides to make the finals after losing their first five matches. Neither made the grand final.Compounding Parramatta's problems is a shortage of backrowers, with Shaun Lane (broken jaw), Nathan Brown (hamstring) and Ryan Matterson (suspended) all on the sidelines.Matterson controversially took a three-game suspension after being charged with a crusher tackle on Penrith's Dylan Edwards in last year's grand final, rather than pay a $4000 fine.He subsequently changed his mind and decided he was willing to pay the fine, but the NRL ruled that the suspension could not be overturned.The 28-year old faced a barrage of criticism over the move, with Mark Geyer admitting at the time that "the optics of it don't look really good.""I think Matterson did the wrong thing by the club by not taking the fine," premiership-winning captain Paul Gallen told Wide World of Sports this week.

'Bewildered' icon's alarming take on Tigers farce

Wests Tigers are floundering in their bid to lure and keep top talent and the club's roster is being hijacked by its indecision over Michael Maguire's future as coach, according to Paul Gallen.The rugby league great said he was staggered that the Tigers were set to lose promising back-rowers Luciano Leilua (Cowboys) and Kelma Tuilagi (Sea Eagles) after this season, before stressing the importance of clarity around the coach to roster management.The hits to the Tigers, who haven't qualified for finals footy since 2011, will only get harder if they lose their fifth game from five starts in a clash with the Sharks on Sunday."The thing that I find really bewildering is they're losing their two back-rowers... so, they're clearly struggling to attract and to retain talent," Gallen said on 2GB's Wide World of Sports radio."Now, that's an issue. At some point in time it's got to come back on the coach, because the first thing players ask when they're going to a new club is, 'well, who's the coach? Who's the coach going to be?'."... I feel like I'm kicking Bambi because they're down and out and they're struggling at the moment and they have been for a couple of years. But there just comes a time where someone needs to take the blame or someone needs to make a decision."Prized Panthers hooker Apisai Koroisau and dangerous Eels back-rower Isaiah Papali'i are among the Tigers' gains for 2023, while talented playmaker Jackson Hastings and crafty utility Tyrone Peachey landed at the club ahead of this season.But the losses of Luciano and Tuilagi are concerning, and there are massive question marks hanging over the quality of the Tigers' roster.

Paul Gallen has been lined up for a boxing bout by Sea Eagles forward Josh Aloiai

Rampaging Manly forward Josh Aloiai has revealed he's in talks with Paul Gallen's camp in a bid to square off with the rugby league legend in the boxing ring. The long-time amateur boxer says he wants to take on the former Sharks captain in December and is confident in his ability, declaring "I will win the fight". That's despite Gallen's defeat of MMA legend Mark Hunt and victory against former WBA heavyweight champion Lucas Browne, as well as his epic performance against reigning Australian heavyweight champion Justis Huni, in which he lost by TKO in the 10th round. Gallen revealed on 2GB's Wide World of Sports radio in August that he had locked in three bouts to be fought over the next 18 months, but he stopped short of announcing his opponents. Aloiai has this week suggested he could be one of those opponents, on the back of pressure from promotional company No Limit Boxing. "There's a fight deal on the table and we're just looking over the contract, making sure everything's all good, going through the process of having lawyers look at it... We're waiting to see if 'Gal' will sign his side. "I didn't think I was going to get Gallen straight away. He's kind of been in my sights for a little while but I didn't think I was going to get Gallen straight away. So I told No Limit, 'match me with anyone else'. I think they're struggling to find people that are willing to fight Gallen. "Then we came to the conclusion that I'm happy to fight him. I'm ready now."

Club doctor's heroic act that saved Fifita

Sharks legend Paul Gallen has admitted news of ex-teammate Andrew Fifita's injury scare was "hard to take", while revealing the heroic role a doctor played in getting the NRL star to hospital on time as he struggled to breathe. Fifita underwent a successful surgery to repair a fractured larynx on Tuesday, after he was rushed to hospital on the advice of the doctors on hand at the Moreton Daily Stadium following the Sharks' clash against the Knights on Sunday afternoon. Upon arrival at hospital, Fifita was placed in an induced coma to assist with breathing, made more difficult due to the extensive swelling of the larynx that had taken place. According to Gallen, teammates noticed Fifita's voice gradually deteriorating throughout the second half of the match, as the 32-year-old continued to yell and pleaded to be put back on the field while sitting on the bench after coming off in the 46th minute. Incredibly, a club doctor had suspected Fifita had injured his larynx and told the Sharks star to go to hospital, only to be waved off by the player himself before his condition soon worsened. "He came back and spoke to Andrew and said, 'Mate, you need to go to hospital', and Andrew being Andrew said, 'Not a chance, what are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with me'," Gallen told 2GB's Wide World of Sports Radio.

SBW guarantees fight with Paul Gallen will happen

Sonny Bill Williams has guaranteed he will fight Paul Gallen in the boxing ring, and couldn't resist a few cheeky pot-shots at the Cronulla Sharks great. Gallen has been chasing a fight with the globetrotting superstar for years, with talks between the two camps repeatedly unraveling at the final hurdle. The closest the former NRL rivals have ever come to reaching a deal was in 2016 when Gallen agreed "to a figure much less than a 50-50 split" in favour of Williams which didn't eventuate. Following Williams' recent stint back in the NRL with the Roosters last season, speculation has again mounted over a potential fight between the pair. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'll fight Paul," Wiliams told Nine. "But I've got to do my due diligence like he has in the past few years. You know what I mean? That means sizing him up." Gallen revealed Williams had already taken the opportunity of his new commentary role with Nine to stoke the rivalry between the two. "He sized me up already tonight," Gallen said. "He goes, 'You're a bit shorter than before'." "I’ve got great respect for what Sonny has done in sport. But as I said, it remains to be seen whether this fight will happen. "There's no announcement tonight. I've got a big fight coming up against a world-ranked opponent. It's a huge fight I'm preparing for. "Maybe one day me and Sonny can happen. I've said it over and over for many years now, let's do it. I still have my doubts it will happen though, big boy "But one thing me and you are going to do is get paid. We know that."

Gallen fires up at NRL for 'gagging' players

Sharks great Paul Gallen says the NRL shouldn't be "gagging" players after Cronulla forward Toby Rudolph copped a formal warning over comments made in a post-match interview. Rudolf was asked on Fox League what he had planned for Sunday night after Cronulla beat the Dragons in Round One. However, the NRL's move against Rudolph has Gallen fuming, arguing the NRL shouldn't be trying to muffle "harmless" moments of character from the game's stars. "That's overstepping the mark," Gallen told Wide World of Sports Radio on 2GB. "I think it's sad. I think it's sad that people are going to complain about what he said. "You could tell he was joking. He actually said straight away, 'Nah it's all about recovery, I'll be recovering for the next game'. "I can't believe there were complaints about that, seriously?! Where did Toby Rudolph overstep the mark? A single bloke. "The amount of journalists that say 'We get nothing out of this bloke'. Well you (finally) get something out of this bloke and you can him for it. We're going to gag him basically. "Now we get (a character in the game), we're going to gag him. He didn't hurt anyone.".