This week’s episode of Behind The Roar has a ‘south-west’ flavour ahead of our first home game of the season at Campbelltown.
We talk to former Wests Tigers fullback, Shannon Gallant, who these days is an integral part of Wests Tigers' pathways programs in the south-west and Macarthur regions.
Behind The Roar drops every Wednesday afternoon and is available on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
Nicknamed ‘mighty mouse’ because he was small in stature, Gallant talks about his ‘giant-sized appetite’ to play just one NRL game.
“There were others who might have been better than me, but because I was smaller than most I guess I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder and I just worked extra hard to make the NRL,” he said.
Having ‘lived the dream’ himself, and knowing South Western Sydney so well, Gallant is well credentialed to offer advice to parents of other youngsters with similar ambition.
He talks about the importance of our pathways programs and why strategically it is crucial for Wests Tigers to develop and retain the wealth of young talent coming through, identifying a few young guns who are on the cusp of reaching the NRL.
At the ripe old age of 37, Gallant is still playing at a very high level, pulling on the number one jersey for his junior club, Campbelltown City Kangaroos.
He even throws out a ‘chook raffle offer’ to another 37-year-old who is also working at the club, whose name is Benji.
Gallant is quick to point out that his role is not just about fast-tracking the best young prospects, but also about maximising participation.
“It’s also about giving kids the opportunity to keep them in the game,’ he says.
You might see a 13-year-old who might not be as developed as others right now, but who could be among the best in years to come.
Shannon Gallant
He also touches on the rapid recent growth in the female space ahead of the club’s inaugural season in the NRLW, citing a spike in numbers in female participation in the south-west and beyond.
On a lighter note, Gallant talks about some of the former ‘jokers’ he played with, including Beau Ryan, who post-retirement has forged a successful career out of ‘being funny'.
He also reflects on some of the great players he played with and against, including Queensland great Matty Bowen, who was both a Wests Tigers' opponent and later a Cowboys' teammate.
And then there’s the day he ‘got burned’ by a Manly second rower named ‘Choc’. Wests Tigers won that game 19-18, but Gallant readily admits he was made to resemble a speedhump.
Shannon Gallant might not be a household name in rugby league, but if you want insight into how a young boy’s dreams became reality, about how a passion for rugby league became a way of life, and about the daily challenges of talent identification, then episode 9 of BTR is a must listen.
