'He is on another level': Gal's tribute after shock retirement

UPDATED: Cronulla legend Paul Gallen says the positive impact of Dale Finucane’s time at the club will be evident for many years to come.

Finucane announced his immediate retirement from the NRL on Tuesday at the age of 32.

The respected hardman says he “exhausted every avenue” in trying to get back on the field but ultimately was told by medical professionals his career was finished.

His final game was round three against the Tigers when he suffered a fractured cheekbone – the latest in a string of head knocks for the workhorse forward.

Across his 251 games in the competition Finucane earned a reputation as one of the hardest trainers in the business.

It was a reason the Sharks recruited him from Melbourne in 2022, and it’s a lesson Gallen says was passed on to the club’s younger generation.

“I think what he’s done at Cronulla, he’s set a really high standard for training and work ethic at the club that’s going to rub off on the youngsters, I think for many years to come,” Gallen told Wide World of Sports on Tuesday.

“I used to like training hard, but he is on another level the way he rips in.