Paul Gallen has made the decision to step down from his role as a director for the Cronulla Sharks.
The 44-year-old has stepped away from his position on the board just 12 months after joining the club where he played 348 times.
Gallen was juggling his role on the board with his commitments as a commentator and analyst for Channel Nine.
The former Shark is normally on multiple games a week for the broadcaster as well as making regular appearances on ‘100% Footy’ on Monday nights.
Strangely though, Gallen was nowhere to be seen during the coverage of the State of Origin decider last Wednesday.
He had been a key member of the Origin broadcast since joining the channel in 2018.
Paul Gallen has decided to step down from the Cronulla Sharks board after just 12 months in the role
It comes less than a week after he was absent from Channel Nine’s coverage of the State of Origin decider in Brisbane
Sharks chairman Steve Mace has confirmed that Gallen will remain an active member of the club despite leaving the board
But despite being at Suncorp Stadium for game three of the series, he was nowhere to be seen on Nine’s coverage.
The 44-year-old was working with bookmaker PointsBet at the decider and posted a short clip of him on a panel with Maroons legend Justin Hodges and former Fox League reporter James Hooper in a box at the ground.
He also reposted multiple clips about his state’s underdog victory, which will go down in Origin folklore.
Speaking of his decision to step down from the board, Gallen told The Daily Telegraph, ‘The board wasn’t exactly what I thought it’d be.
‘Now I know how much work goes into it, especially at a club like ours where the directors are really hands-on with management. Those guys do such an amazing job and we’re extremely lucky to have them. I’ll continue to help with the football side of it.’
Despite leaving his role on the board, Sharks chairman Steve Mace confirmed Gallen would remain an active member of the team.
It is expected he will be heavily involved with recruitment, retention and operational structures.
‘We were fortunate to have Gal involved (on the board),’ Mace said.
‘As I said when he joined the board, when Paul puts his mind to something, he’s successful well beyond the sporting arena. He’s decided his passion is working directly with the football program, and we fully support that. He’ll continue to be an important part of the club.’
The former professional boxer is a huge figure in NSW Origin history after captaining the Blues and winning player of the series in 2014 – the first time the Cockroaches had won the title since 2005.
Fans were quick to pick up on Nine’s line-up change on Wednesday night.
‘Oi where is Paul Gallen tonight? At least he’s not a biased maroon and is better than half the other commentators,’ one wrote on X.
‘Give us Gallen over Gus [Phil Gould] any day,’ another added.
‘Horrible decision,’ one more claimed.
Gallen skippered the Blues a record number of times and has become a footy villain for many Queensland fans.
He has clocked up several years of experience as a sideline or colour commentator, and also holds a role with radio 2GB’s Continuous Call Team.
