Paul Gallen

Paul Gallen won respect for his fearless style as an enforcer of the Blues pack in a State of Origin career that spanned 24 games across 11 seasons. His career coincided with the rise of a dominant Queensland outfit, but Gallen refused to take a backward step, an approach typified by his confrontation with Maroons opposite Nate Myles in the opening game of the 2013 series which has become part of Origin folklore.

Gallen played as a middle forward, whether he took the field as a front-rower, or in the number 13 jersey and it was not uncommon for the Cronulla workhorse to soldier through 80 minutes without relief. He collected the Brad Fittler Medal for the Blues’ Player of the Series in 2011.

His persistence in the face of the Maroons’ eight years of dominance was rewarded in 2014 when he led the Blues to a breakthrough series win in Sydney and he was later named winner of the Wally Lewis Medal as Player of the Series. Gallen surpassed Danny Buderus’ record as the Blues’ longest-serving Origin captain in 2016, the same year that he led Cronulla to its maiden premiership success after a nail-biting Grand Final win over the Melbourne Storm.