Legends Never Die
The Untimely Passing of Paul Green
A. M. Bailey
Out of all the NRL grand finals played primarily at ANZ stadium, arguably one of the most unforgettable matches was the 2015 grand final between the Cowboys and the Broncos. As the teams went into overtime, a mistake from Ben Hunt gave the Cowboys the ball letting Jonathon ‘JT’ Thurston slot a drop goal to win the game. But who orchestrated this team? Who was the man in the box?
A star in his own right as a player, Paul Gregory Green played 162 games across five different clubs as a halfback, five-eighth and hooker whilst also playing seven State of Origins for Queensland. Green also won the 1995 Rothmans medal as the league’s best and fairest player that year.
But he will forever be remembered as the man who helped guide North Queensland to their maiden premiership in 2015. In total, he was in charge of the Cowboys for 167 games, with the 2015 title coming in just his second season as head coach. He left the club in 2020 and took over as Queensland’s State of Origin coach last year.
When he resigned from that job at the end of the 2021 Origin season, nobody counted him out of the game. Until, under very unfortunate circumstances, he was.
The former State of Origin coach and rugby league star died at the young age of 49 last week, as a result of an ongoing battle with mental health, sending shock waves through the sporting community.
The brain of late NRL player Paul Green will be donated to science, with his wife, Amanda Green, confirming the family’s decision to support research at the Australian Sports Brain Bank which has areas focusing on the results of concussion, a common injury in the NRL.
“He had a wonderful and enquiring mind, and he never backed away from asking the hard questions,” Mrs Green said.
“We hope this donation will help us understand more about brain health and mental health and save lives in the future.”
In memory of Paul Green, every fan housed in Queensland Country Bank Stadium has risen to their feet in the 15th minute of the Cowboys 44-point win over the Warriors on Friday for a minute’s applause. So when I say “Legends Never Die”, I mean it.
If you need any support, please contact:
- the School Counselling Service at shorecounsellors@shore.nsw.edu.au or
- Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800 or https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/what-big-thing-called-grief
- headspace: 1800 650 890 or https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/for-young-people/grief-and-loss