The NRL world is in shock over news of the passing of former coach and player Paul Green.
The 49-year-old’s death comes as a complete shock, as he was tipped to make a return to NRL coaching.
Green was reportedly only in Sydney last weekend for a Cronulla Sharks reunion, with his close friends and family noting that he had no complaints about his health.
Green had a storied NRL career, as both a player and coach. He won the 1995 Rothman’s Medal when playing for Cronulla, while the coaching highlight was undoubtedly leading North Queensland to arguably the NRL’s greatest Grand Final victory in 2015, beating the Broncos 17-16 and delivering the club a maiden title.
Green was still coaching the Maroons last year and played at representative level for both Queensland and the Kangaroos as well. He laced up for 162 first grade games across five clubs and then coached the Cowboys 167 times, from 2014-20, with a win percentage of 52%.
Green made an immediate impact as coach at North Queensland, introducing Jason Taumolo to the top grade and steering them to a fifth-place finish. It got even better the following year, of course, as the club enjoyed its most successful season and finished on an incredible high. The 2015 Grand Final will go down in the history books as one of the greatest games in history, with a last-second try to send the game to golden-point before Jonathan Thurston sealed the premiership with a history-defining field-goal.
Green was undoubtedly in the mix for one of the open NRL coaching roles and there was speculation around a move to the Newcastle Knights.
His incredible contribution to rugby league will only now be properly reflected on, as news of his tragic passing sinks in.
