Paul Gallen is hailed as an NRL hero — but his behaviour to young fans is an insult
A FATHER of a 10-year-old boy told me this story. And I have seen emails that document conversations with Cronulla chief executive Lyall Gorman.
It’s about Paul Gallen and the way the Cronulla captain spoke to fans after a recent game.
The father concerned I know well, through his association with our local football club. He is a good man, a wonderful father. He’s the dad who puts his hand up to take a group along to games regularly.
I said, ‘Paul, no you go f*** yourself. You hide out in the rooms, these people are only waiting for a minute of your time
Just recently they travelled from the Central Coast to watch the Sharks play the Cowboys.
That morning the dad got up at 3am to go to work in Sydney before driving three hours to get the boys and then get back for the game.
Little Thomas had a couple of his mates with him, my son included. They all took their footy cards to get signed. Thomas, being a Sharks fan, also took a Big League Magazine.
He’d saved the magazine all year with a picture of Gallen so he could frame it and hang it on his bedroom wall. As much as they love watching the game, the kids get the greatest kick out of meeting players. Almost always, the kids go home and can’t wait to go back.
But on this particular day, it didn’t end so well.
Gallen usually enjoys a good relationship with Sharks fans — but not this time.
One by one the players filed out and did their very best to make sure the boys got what they were after.
“Michael Ennis deserves a medal for the way he treats the kids,” the dad said, “but they were all so great.”
But as they stood around waiting for the skipper, the group were told Gallen had already gone.
“Then another player came out,” the dad said, “I can’t remember who it was, but he said Gallen is still in there. There was about 10 people waiting just outside the tunnel.
“He literally pushed his way through a small group and Thomas handed him his magazine and said; “Oh, Paul, can you please sign this for me’. And he put the marker to it and he literally drew a line across the bottom of it.
“Then he said, ‘F*** this, I haven’t got time for this s***’.”
The father said Gallen then threw the magazine back at his son.
“(Shane) Flanagan was right behind him and he came straight over and said; ‘Look boys, I’m’ really sorry. If you want to put your cards in an envelope and send them down to me I will make sure they get signed’.
“Thomas, straight away, said; ‘I don’t like Paul Gallen anymore. I don’t want to get it signed’. He was just shattered.”
After that the family had correspondence with Gorman outlining what had happened. The mother asked Gorman to verify the story with Flanagan.
Eventually, Gorman replied: “We have taken the necessary steps to address the matter you have outlined internally and please be assured that we take any such matter very seriously. My sincere apologies to you and you family for the way you feel.”
So they returned last weekend.
This time as they walked through the gates they got handed a free pack of footy cards.
“Everyone has bad days but this shouldn’t happen.”
Thomas had Gallen in his pack, and it’s fair to say he was still angry.
“He said to me, ‘I want to write ‘you’re a dickhead, from Thomas’, and give it to him’,” the dad said.
“I said, ‘mate I’m not going to stop you’ because I knew how frustrated he was. Anyway, after the game we hung around. All the other players came out signed the boys’ stuff. Then they told us again Gallen was gone.
“But after that I think it was the head runner came out and he must have slipped up because he said Gal was still in there.
“So I said to Thomas, ‘give it to me, I will give it to him and talk for you’.
“So he came out and he signed maybe three things and said ‘that’s enough, I’m going’. I pretty much stood in his line and said, ‘hang on a minute, have you got a second’.
“I said mate, it was real nice to spend a bit of time and sign some things, not like last fortnight when you threw the Big League Magazine in my son’s face. But he wants to give you this’.
“I handed him the card. I told him ‘you might want to take a second and read it. These boys here were some of your biggest fans, they loved you. And this is what they think about you now.
“Then he read the card. Well, mate, he grabbed the card and flicked it in my face and said ‘go f*** yourself’.
“The card stuck to my neck and I grabbed it and flicked it back.
“I said, ‘Paul, no you go f*** yourself. You hide out in the rooms, these people are only waiting for a minute of your time’.
“Then he just stormed off. He got about 10 metres away and gave everyone the bird.
“Like I said, pretty much all the players are great every time we go along. I make sure the kids are polite and say please and thank you.
“Everyone has bad days but this shouldn’t happen.”
Some people might say what’s the point of telling this story?
Just as it was a legitimate story earlier this year when Gallen was praised for helping an old man who fell down escalators at the movies, sometimes they need to be told.
Gallen probably does a lot of good deeds along the way. But like the dad said: “Should I stand up for my son on this?
“I reckon Gallen would do the same for his kids.”
