Sheridan Gallagher has become one of the NRLW’s most exciting cross-code athletes, but her rise to stardom has been shaped as much by personal resilience as by professional talent. Once a promising soccer player who captained the Young Matildas, Gallagher now leads the Newcastle Knights’ attacking charge as they prepare for another high-stakes NRLW elimination final.
Yet behind her sporting journey lies the memory of her late father — whose influence, encouragement, and unique methods to keep her on the field continue to inspire her every time she steps onto the pitch.
A Father’s Motivation and Lasting Influence
Gallagher admits her early sporting days weren’t filled with natural brilliance. In fact, her father’s persistence and creativity were what kept her coming back each week.
“I wasn’t very good at sport at a young age,” Gallagher told AAP. “So to keep me out there on the field and turning up week in week out, he used to have to stand next to me on the sideline and give me red frogs.
“Obviously getting older, I did turn into loving sport and he didn’t have to give me red frogs. He was always encouraging, and he was just happy that I was out there playing sport and having fun.”
Her father’s support, however simple it may have seemed at the time, became the foundation for the resilience and drive Gallagher displays today. Tragically, her father died by suicide when she was just 16, an event that shaped her outlook on both life and sport.
This week, Gallagher took to social media on World Suicide Prevention Day to share her story, using her platform to spread awareness about an issue that has impacted her family so deeply.
She explained: “Posting about my dad sent a message that we should be talking about it (suicide prevention) more often.”
Even now, she feels his presence on match day. “(During a match), I just try and think about the game and think about what I have to do for the team,” she said. “After the game, there’s definitely that emotion there that sort of fills you.”
From Football Pitch to Rugby League Field
Before turning her attention fully to rugby league, Gallagher made waves in Australian football. Only two years after her father’s passing, she was named captain of the Young Matildas, where she played alongside Mary Fowler and Kyra Cooney-Cross — two players who have since gone on to become superstars for the senior Matildas.
Reflecting on her time in that environment, Gallagher said: “To sit in classrooms with each other (Fowler and Cooney-Cross), to seeing them succeed on the world stage, it’s something you dream of.
“That soccer career that I had was the most professional environment I had been in, and it put me in a good place to walk into an NRLW program.”
Her grounding in elite football prepared her for the demands of professional rugby league, where the physicality and intensity of the NRLW have allowed her natural athleticism to shine.
Knights’ Finals Push and Gallagher’s Record-Breaking Form
Gallagher has been one of Newcastle’s most prolific attacking weapons this season, and Saturday’s elimination final against the Gold Coast Titans presents another chance to etch her name into the record books.
If she crosses the line one more time, Gallagher will break her own record for most tries in a single NRLW season by a Knights player, surpassing her tally of nine from last year. Her ability to turn half-chances into points has made her a nightmare for opposition defenses, and the Knights will once again be relying on her sharp instincts out wide.
A victory would propel Newcastle into a grand final qualifier against Brisbane, adding another chapter to Gallagher’s growing legacy in the competition.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Newcastle star Sheridan Gallagher has opened up about the influence of her late father and two Matildas stars on the eve of the NRLW finals. <a href="https://t.co/ptZCYFWvBt">https://t.co/ptZCYFWvBt</a></p>— Newcastle Herald (@newcastleherald) <a href="https://twitter.com/newcastleherald/status/1968954306138194029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Titans Out for Revenge
Standing in Newcastle’s way, however, is a Titans side determined to avenge recent finals heartbreak. Gold Coast have been repeatedly knocked out of contention by the Knights, including in last year’s grand final.
Jessika Elliston, the Titans’ player of the year, admitted the rivalry is always front of mind when the two teams meet.
“Whenever we play them in finals footy, or anytime … we sort of go, ‘God damn it, it’s you guys’,” Elliston told AAP.
“Our dreams got shattered last year by Newcastle, and our plan this year is to not let that happen again. It’s cool being an underdog, which we have been forever. No one sort of backs us, which is so fine, we also love that.”
With the Titans eager to flip the script and the Knights defending their reputation as big-game specialists, Saturday’s clash promises to deliver the drama and intensity fans have come to expect from NRLW finals football.
More Than a Game
For Gallagher, this finals campaign is about more than just records and results. Every time she steps onto the field, she carries the memory of her father and the lessons he left behind. His encouragement to enjoy the game, to persevere even when things were tough, and to embrace sport as a source of joy remains the core of her motivation.
Her journey — from a reluctant youngster bribed with red frogs to a cross-code professional capable of breaking scoring records — is a story of resilience, family, and inspiration. In the end, Gallagher’s sporting career is not only about tries and trophies but also about honoring the influence of her late father and showing others the importance of speaking up about mental health.
As the elimination final looms, Gallagher stands as a symbol of both sporting excellence and personal strength — a player determined to leave her mark on the game, and a voice reminding the sporting world that some victories are measured far beyond the scoreboard.