The East Campbelltown Eagles will be looking to give stalwart Shannon Gallant a fairytale send off in Round 9 of the Sydney Shield with the ex-NRL player announcing his retirement from Rugby League.
Gallant played 21 first-grade games for the North Queensland Cowboys and Wests Tigers since his NRL debut in 2007 before re-emerging with the Newtown Jets in the NSW Cup (now Canterbury Cup NSW) in 2014.
He returned to the Western Suburbs Magpies before playing two seasons with Narellan Jets – the two clubs where he played a majority of his junior Rugby League.
A premiership with East Campbelltown Eagles in the Sydney Shield in 2018 was a fitting reward for a player who had enjoyed a stellar career across various competitions, although his final two campaigns have not seen the same success.
Emotional Scenes for Gallant And East Campbelltown
This weekend will be Gallant's last Rugby league match when the Eagles take on Sydney University, with both teams unable to make the finals as they sit eighth and ninth on the competition ladder respectively.
The duo are both coming off losses in Round 8 with Sydney University recording a 36-28 loss to Minor Premier Ryde Eastwood-Hawks, while East Campbelltown suffered a 24-16 defeat at the hands of Belrose Eagles.
Meanwhile, the make-up of the top-four relies heavily on the Eagles clash with Helensburgh Tigers and the fixture between Hills District Bulls and Moorebank Rams.
HIGHLIGHTS | Sydney Shield Rd 8
An Eagles victory will see them remain in second and the Tigers desperately holding onto fourth place, with a victory to either Bulls or Rams seeing them earn a finals berth.
Cronulla Caringbah Sharks are guaranteed a place in the 2020 finals series, and a win over Wentworthville along with an Eagles loss will see them surpass their counterparts on the competition ladder.
