There were numerous highs, Cronulla’s Premiership success, captaining an Origin series victory in 2014, the Test matches for Australia, but they were coupled with tough times, low moments and some monumental challenges along the way for Sharks retiring skipper Paul Gallen.
The man who proudly urged Sharks fans to ‘turn off the porch lights, I’m bringing home the trophy’ on that famous Sunday in October 2016, Gallen put his ‘heart and soul’ into his 19 NRL seasons with the Sharks.
Now, some 50-days post retirement, Gallen’s memoir which tracks that amazing ride, from troubled teen, to young star, to the NSW and Sharks captain, Paul Gallen – Heart and Soul, was officially launched at the Sharks Leagues Club and hits bookshop shelves today.
As the promotional material surrounding the book proclaims, it is a no-holds-barred autobiography, covering Gallen's extraordinary career in rugby league.
It was a career also known for some controversy, with Gallen's take-no-prisoners style polarising both media and fans, with the autobiography a frank, open and heartfelt account of the great highs and lows of his 19 years playing at rugby league's highest level. It’s a story as powerful and compelling as the man himself.
Always honest and to the point, Gallen was again that at the book launch, answering questions on the ASADA chapter in the book, his difficult times as a teenager and the emotions surrounding the Sharks premiership victory over the Storm in 2016.
All is included in the book, nothing was off-limits to respected journalist David Riccio who helped write and produce, which presents Gallen in a different light and could perhaps change the perceptions of many.
A must read for Sharks fans, Paul Gallen, Heart and Soul is a sporting autobiography that will also resonate with a much larger audience. It’s for lovers of a good story, coming up in the world, adversity, discipline, and coming up sweet on the other side.
Available from today in bookstores.
