Why Paul Gallen loses sleep over State of Origin

(Photo by Getty Images)

In the current issue of Inside Sport magazine, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks legend Paul Gallen well and truly puts to bed the age-old myth that footy players of any code will always “sleep well tonight” after a big outing such as a grand final or a brutal Origin encounter.

It’s a well-trotted-out line, particularly by television interviewers post-match as they attempt to gauge the coming-down period of players who have just put themselves through a brutal contest.

But Gallen says with players so pumped up from the excitement of game day, the calming-down and recovery process takes longer than most outsiders think. “It’s very hard, I tell you ... After any game, I do not sleep; it’s terrible,” the 34-year-old, ten-year Origin veteran shares with IS. “I can’t explain how bad it is. You have a win, and you’re happy, obviously, but you can’t come down off it straight away. The amount of energy drinks we have during a game and the amount of adrenaline running through you ... The effort you put into it; people do think you’d be exhausted and that you could sleep for days, but it’s the complete opposite.

“The next 24 hours become really hard because you’re wanting to sleep all day and then you can’t sleep the next night. It’s a real tough roller-coaster, rugby league. Going out with the boys and having a couple of drinks, there is reason to it, otherwise you’re laying at home staring at the ceiling, almost going insane. I’m not the only one; there are a lot of boys who struggle to sleep post-game. It’s just something you have to put up with.”

For the full story, be sure to rush out and grab a copy of the June 2016 issue of Inside Sport, on sale at newsagents for one more week only …