A candid Paul Gallen has revealed he's beginning to worry about the lasting effects of head knocks off the back of a 400-game rugby league career and his ventures into professional boxing.
The Cronulla Sharks great turned prize fighter has largely maintained a steely stance as the issue of concussion has taken centre stage on the NRL's agenda.
But, when it was put to him how he felt about his own experience with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) – the term used to describe brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head traumas – Gallen offered a rare glimpse into his concerns for his health.
"Throughout my career I played just over 400 first-class games," Gallen told WWOS Radio on 2GB.
"I had two concussion tests ever. One of them was after an offload and Dylan Napa got me with a bit of a high shot and I stumbled a bit when I got back up but I was fine, I passed the test.
"The other one I didn't need at all and I passed that test also. So, I was never knocked out thankfully.
"With all this talk about it, I do think about it now, it is in my mind but I think that's only because there is so much talk about it.
"I carry a pen with me whenever I'm doing radio now because sometimes I think I'm going to forget things so I write things down and that sort of worries me.
"But I've got to say, if anything happens to me when I'm 50-60 years of age and someone said to me 'You shouldn't have done this, you shouldn't have done that', I wouldn't change what I'm doing.
"I have athletic ability and I'm going to get every bit of that ability out of my body that I can.
"And when I'm retired I'm going to have nothing left. That's my attitude at the moment and that will be my attitude going forward.
"Do I worry about it? I'm starting to. But I'm not going to change."
Gallen developed a reputation during his 19-year rugby league career with the Sharks, NSW and Australia as one of the toughest competitors in the game.
He racked up giant metres, tackled relentlessly and was often in the thick of a scuffle, defending his teammates and relishing niggle from opponents.
He also holds an undefeated record in boxing and is set to fight Australian heavyweight prodigy Justis Huni next month.
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