Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen has hit back at comments made by Newcastle coach Nathan Brown after the Knights defeated the Sharks on Friday night.

In an article written for the Wide World of Sports, Gallen said it was “surprising” Brown would refer back to something Gallen said 18 months ago.

“Off the back of a Round 1 win, I thought that Nathan Brown referring back to comments I made 18 months ago was surprising.”

Gallen questioned Mitchell Pearce’s decision in 2017 to join the Knights from the Roosters instead of heading to the Shire and that the Knights were “a long way off winning a competition.”

“Those comments were made with Newcastle coming off three consecutive wooden spoons. They were pretty fair.”

Gallen also confirmed his role in the team on game day as his career comes to an end.

“The days of playing 60-80 minutes are gone. I think I’ll play about 40-50 minutes and that’ll be about it this year, which is fine by me.”

Cronulla has a chance to join the winner’s circle in round two against Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon.