Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan says his heart goes out to Paul Gallen after the forward was ruled out of next week’s State of Origin decider.
The Sharks kept up their hunt for an NRL top four spot with a gutsy 19-18 win over Brisbane on Friday night, just hours after Gallen was officially ruled out of the Blues team.
Saying it was unlikely the Sharks skipper would be fit to play in next weekend’s clash with the Sydney Roosters, Flanagan said there was no doubt Gallen would be devastated.
“You don’t get too many opportunities … to lead your state in an Origin decider at home,” Flanagan said.
“The pain that he’s going through at the moment, I don’t think he’s even worried about his foot to tell you the truth.
“It’s a terrible blow for him, the whole club feels really sorry for him.”
The Sharks are also set to be without stand-in skipper Wade Graham for the Roosters clash after he injured his shoulder against the Broncos.
But Flanagan is confident Mark Taufua will have no case to answer after being reported for a shoulder charge on Broncos halfback Peter Wallace.
“Mate, I was surprised it was even a penalty, seriously,” he said.