Cronulla’s first Australian captain, Greg Pierce, has died following a long illness.
Pierce, 66, played 210 games for the Sharks between 1969 and 1980, including the brutal 1973 grand final against Manly.
Pierce played 24 matches for Australia and captained his country against New Zealand in 1978.
The Gymea junior went on to coach Cronulla in 1981-82 and was named a Sharks Immortal in 2005.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said Pierce was one of the greatest players to play for Cronulla.
“As an Australian captain, he will forever be a part of a very special club,” he said.
“He will be sorely missed by everyone at Cronulla, but also the game which he was such a special part of.”
Pierce fought cancer for more than a decade. He died on the Central Coast on Friday night.
A minute silence was observed before Cronulla’s game with the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday night, with the Sharks first grade side wearing black armbands.
