Chad Townsend and Paul Gallen are back on good terms after a year of silence, and recently marked the 10th anniversary of Cronulla's premiership together.
The former teammates had played nine seasons together and won the 2016 NRL grand final, but their friendship suffered after North Queensland beat Cronulla in the first week of the 2022 finals.
Townsend recalled on SEN radio that he refused to shake Gallen's hand before a Nine interview, telling him, "I don't like the things you've been saying about the team all year,".
The exchange happened off-camera, Townsend said, and the pair then avoided speaking for about 12 months.
They eventually addressed the rift after Townsend signed a one-year Roosters deal in 2024, which Gallen had called a "weird signing".
Townsend said he called Gallen and explained, "you were my captain for nine years that I played at Cronulla. What would you have done if someone in the media was taking (negatively) about the team?"
Gallen replied that he would have done the same, Townsend said.
Townsend, who retired in 2025 after 268 NRL games, now coaches Cronulla's SG Ball under-19s side and has media roles.