More time with family proves a retirement bonus for Finucane

In the first of a special series on retiring NRL stars sponsored by Hostplus, we talk to former Shark, Bulldog and Storm man Dale Finucane, who is finding joy in spending more time with his family and getting to indulge his passion for music.

Former Sharks captain Dale Finucane loves nothing better than patrolling the sidelines at junior footy on a Saturday morning watching his son Freddy run around.

One of the huge benefits of retirement for the man who played 251 games across a 13-year professional career is that he now has the time to cheer on four-year-old Freddy and also sit with him at Sharks games and take him inside the sheds afterwards.

“Freddy is mad about footy at the moment,” Finucane told NRL.com.

“It’s great to be at the kids’ sport and playing a bigger role in their lives.

“Freddy comes into the sheds after games and he has learned the whole ‘Up, Up Cronulla’ song on Spotify.

“He loves singing in the sheds and throwing water around and being part of it.

“Him and my other son Tommy go out on the field and pretend to be Ronaldo or Sione scoring tries in the corner after everyone has gone home.

“They are making memories that will last forever.”

And speaking of memories to last a lifetime, Finucane can reflect on two premierships with the Melbourne Storm in 2017 and 2020, two grand final appearances with the Bulldogs in 2012 and 2014, as well as five Origins with the NSW Blues and a World Club Challenge triumph in 2018.

Hailing from Bega on the NSW south coast, Finucane says he knew from the age of 15 that rugby league was his game and he wanted to make it his career.

“At 15, I realised I wanted to pursue league professionally.” Finucane said.

“I tried out for a Southern NSW side and missed out and that shocked me a bit and drove me to start training harder and doing extras.

“I was doing weights and runs and doing stuff other guys were not doing where I lived. That was a defining moment for me.

“I was contracted to the Bulldogs as a teenager and moved to Sydney where I completed Year 12 at Bass High School.

“I had tunnel vision as a youngster [about making league a career] but once I came into Toyota Cup [in 2009] it was mandatory to study as well so I ended up doing a Health and Movement degree.

“Once I was in my early 20s that was important to do because you only have a short career span and it’s good to have a fallback - to set yourself up for life after football.

“There has been a shift away from putting all your eggs in one basket with footy.”

The knowledge Finucane gained from his degree and then honed during his 13-year career has set him up for the next stage of his life, where he plans to stay involved in the game.

The 33-year-old has the opportunity to mentor the next generation of players through his work with the junior pathways program at the Sharks.

“I’m really passionate about that, there’s so much area for growth for those guys, and it’s something I’ll look to do moving forward,” he said.

“I’d love to stay in the game and be involved in the performance side of the game – the strength and conditioning.

“I love being in the football environment and I’ve spent some time with the leadership group here.

“There’s a sense of fulfilment working with those guys and being able to share what I have learned around professionalism.

“One of the reasons I went to Melbourne was to learn from Craig Bellamy and Billy and Cooper and Cameron.

“I learnt so much from the Big 3 about leadership and the work ethic is phenomenal.

“Craig still gets in the gym himself and does boxing or gets on the rower.

“The first thing you see when you walk in the door is Craig in the gym so you have immediate respect for him.

“He gives players a simple role but has a high expectation around the details of that role.

“And they have the work program where players spend two weeks of the pre-season doing a job.

“They do weights at 5am and then a full day of work and it gives you an appreciation of the job we have as league players.”

It’s a career Finucane will forever be grateful for and one he can look back on with pride as he enjoys family time and the chance to indulge his passion for music.

“My old man taught me to play guitar from a young age. You had to play guitar or recorder at school in Bega,” he said.

“I’ve played at an Origin game and I’ve had a few pub gigs as well.

“You need a passion outside of football. That gave me the balance to play rugby league.

“Whether it’s study or surfing or guitar, it puts you in a better mindset to play footy."

You get the feeling that as Dale Finucane settles into life as a retired NRL footballer, he has a clear picture of what the future looks like and the things that matter most to him moving forward.