Former Young Matildas captain Sheridan Gallagher opens up about father's suicide ahead of NRLW final

Sheridan Gallagher, the Newcastle Knights' NRLW flyer and a former Young Matildas captain, has spoken publicly about losing her father to suicide when she was 16, timed to World Suicide Prevention Day. The 23-year-old cross‑code athlete posted about the day on social media this week and described the message as one that should be discussed rather than avoided.

Gallagher recalled, 'I wasn't good at sport at a young age. To keep me out there on the field and turning up week in week out, he used to stand next to me on the sideline and give me red frogs.' She added that her father 'was always encouraging' and 'happy that I was out there playing sport and having fun.'

Gallagher, 23, also plays in the A-League Women for Newcastle Jets. She used a post on social media this week to mark World Suicide Prevention Day and then spoke to students at Cardiff High School, north of Sydney, about the importance of speaking up if you are struggling, before sharing the deeply personal story of losing her father to suicide. The message she conveyed to the students was that suicide prevention needs to be a topic discussed, not avoided.

During a recent interview, Gallagher described how her father’s influence lingers on game 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.'

Two years after her father's passing, Gallagher went on to captain the Young Matildas, playing alongside Mary Fowler and Kyra Cooney-Cross. Now she is turning her attention to Saturday's elimination NRLW final against the Gold Coast Titans in Newcastle. A victory would secure a clash with the Brisbane Broncos in a grand final qualifier.

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