NRL 2022: When looking for a new head coach clubs should consider an old head

He’s been through the ringer with the passing of mate Andrew Symonds but now a change of scenery could be just the tonic for him and the perfect fit the the Warriors, writes Brent Read.

Former North Queensland Cowboys head coach Paul Green . Picture: Alix Sweeney

Paul Green isn’t interested in reminding the world of his credentials as a slew of NRL coaching jobs become available. He has no desire to enter the public debate about his or anyone else’s merits to fill one of the three vacancies.

Green would rather take the silent and respectful approach. Which is why Green had no interest in doing an interview this week when contacted by Weekend Read. To be fair, he doesn’t need to speak. His record speaks for itself.

Rugby league and their clubs at the moment would seem obsessed with finding the next big thing. The shiny new toy. Craig Fitzgibbon 2.0.

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Paul Green coached the North Queensland Cowboys to an NRL premiership.

That man appears to be Cameron Ciraldo but as good as he reputedly is, even he can’t fill three jobs. He may yet decide not to fill any and instead stay at Penrith, where his reputation continues to soar.

Which brings us back to Green. The former North Queensland coach has been quietly biding his time, keeping his eye on the footy and working in the mental health space for building company BMD.

He has kept his mind occupied. His time on the coaching sidelines has had its share of pain, not least last month when Green’s good mate Andrew Symonds passed away in shocking circumstances.

The pair got to know each other when Symonds trained with the Broncos and Green was still at the club. Turned out they lived near each other and would occasionally catch up.

The Warriors want a ‘hard arse’ and Paul Green can fill that need. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Then they both moved to Townsville and the friendship grew. Their families became close. Green could be forgiven for putting his coaching aspirations aside as he and others contemplated a loss that was reported around the world.

Green, though, wants to coach again and he deserves his share of respect. He has won a premiership and presided over a period of sustained success in Townsville. He has nurtured emerging stars and coddled the established elite.

Green has been mourning the loss of good mate Andrew Symonds.

If the Warriors want a hard-arse coach, as is claimed by their owner Mark Robinson, they could do worse than chase Green. If the Bulldogs or Tigers are looking for a development coach, Green played a role in bringing through some of the young stars who have led the Cowboys into the top four.

Green doesn’t want to push his own barrow. He probably doesn’t need to. But we thought we would do it for him anyway because rugby league’s obsession with finding the next big thing means some clubs may overlook a bloke who has already been the big thing, and if given another chance, may be again.

Green has experience coddling elite players too. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

* * * * *

Matt Jones probably wasn’t going to crack it for a start with the International team for the Presidents Cup later this year but for the time being, it doesn’t matter.

Not as long as Jones is committed to Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed LIV Tour. The PGA Tour had threatened to ban players who pledged to take part in the rebel tour’s inaugural event and commissioner Jay Monahan was true to his word late on Thursday night.

Jones had his membership of the PGA Tour suspended. So did 16 other players who were previously members of the PGA Tour, among them Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

Garcia and Johnson had already informed the PGA Tour of their decision to resign their membership but not Mickelson. Nor for that matter Jones, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour who stands to earn life-changing money by competing on Norman’s rebel circuit.

As the first ball was struck off the tee at Centurion Golf Club, Monahan dropped a perfectly-timed bomb on Jones and co. They were out.

Blackbanned from the PGA Tour and associated events such as the Presidents Cup. In damning the rebel players, Monahan tugged at the heartstrings of those who remain loyal to the PGA Tour, among them Australians Cameron Smith, Jason Day and Adam Scott.

He was certain, he said, that the tour’s fans and partners were sick of all the talk about money. He told them that the PGA Tour and the spoils they enjoyed had been built by the likes of Jack and Arnie. Think Nicklaus and Palmer.

Matt Jones has already won $18 million USD on the PGA circuit, now he’s chasing riches on the Saudi-backed tour. Picture: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

That legacy, he wrote, could not be bought or sold. The LIV Tour wasted no time hitting back as they released an immediate statement in which they described the PGA Tour as vindictive. They also warned it was not the last word on the topic.

It was all very unsavoury. Yet if the rebel players were concerned, they weren’t showing it. The tournament was beamed on the LIV Tour website and it felt like any other golf tournament. The only difference was the mind-numbing numbers that were on offer.

The chance to earn ridiculous pots of money held sway where many were concerned. Mickelson, having been savaged by critics over his comments in relation to the Saudis, emerged from his cave wearing all black.

His clothing was free of the sponsorship badges that once dotted his apparel. Same for Johnson. Still, their sign-on fees should cover it, not to mention their prize money for playing at The Centurion Golf Club.

Norman’s raid on the PGA Tour has been a slow burn but has begun to hit paydirt. There has been talk in recent days that Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed are about to jump ship.

The PGA Tour is under siege and for all the criticism of Norman for taking Saudi money and by extension endorsing the concept of sport washing - where countries use sport to improve their image - he is starting to turn some fairly prominent heads.

Golf is in the midst of an ugly civil war. Think Super League and World Series Cricket, only on steroids. As usual, the only winners are likely to be lawyers, although some would argue the players have landed on their feet given they are sharing in millions of dollars in sign-on fees to join Norman.

Jones’ decision could yet affect his ability to play in Australia later this year, although the Australian PGA and Open are both co-sanctioned as part of Europe’s DP World Tour. That said, Jones didn’t seem overly perturbed as the first round began.

He had a tournament to win.

Originally published as NRL 2022: When looking for a new head coach clubs should consider an old head