Gallen defends Pearce

NSW captain Paul Gallen has defended Mitchell Pearce and says his Blues teammate has only hurt himself.

Pearce has come under fire his antics in a video of an Australia Day party. The halfback has been stood by the Roosters as they investigate.

“I’m a close personal friend of of Mitchell’s, I like the kid a lot. My biggest thought at the moment is for Mitchell’s wellbeing,” Gallen told AAP.

“He hasn’t hurt anyone. His actions have only really hurt himself I believe.

“People make mistakes. We all make mistakes and unfortunately when it involves us guys, those mistakes generally appear to be bigger.

“The environment we live in today is an absolute fishbowl and people are willing to profit out of that and things can go wrong very quickly as is what has happened in this case.

“My heart is with Mitchell at the moment and I just really hope that, first and foremost, his welfare is okay.”

“The Roosters are a very strong club, they’re very well governed. They will investigate it thoroughly, as will the NRL, and they will come up with a sufficient outcome.”