Paul Green celebrated as family, friends and rugby league legends remember a life well lived

For decades it has seemed we knew everything about Paul Green’s life but it took his memorable funeral service to truly reveal what an astonishing character the world lost, ROBERT CRADDOCK writes.

Paul Green’s family gave moving speeches.

The Kougari Oval car park told its own silent story about rugby league’s man for everyone Paul Green at his funeral and memorial services.

There, sitting beside two tradie’s trucks – one with a mini-ladder on top of it – was a top of the range BMW.

The rich, the battlers, the tradies, a heap of locals and a sprinkling of inter-staters – they came from everywhere.

It was a telling nod to Green’s ability to be a bridge between the working class boy that he was and high achieving helicopter flying, Harvard graduating academic he was as well.

These characters are rare in league.

For decades it has seemed we knew everything about Green’s life and times but it took this memorable day to reveal what an astonishing character the world has lost, a man of Wynnum yet also a man of the world.

Green was always rated one of league’s smartest cookies but it was revealed he had a tertiary entrance score of 990 – the maximum.

Paul Green won back to back Rothmans Medals.

He could have been a doctor had he not preferred teaching league players how to construct a block play.

We were all aware he was a top rugby league player but who knew he was a champion skateboarder at age three?

Or that he played with Michael Kasprowicz in a South Brisbane representative cricket side? Or that he made the Australian rugby union – repeat rugby union - masters team a decade ago?

Close friends were well aware of his love of karaoke singing and his family provided a fresh layer to that talent when they revealed he could sing a full version of Glen Campbell’s Rhinestone Cowboy by age five.

Green was always renowned for his fierce intensity as a player and coach but his family also cherished the larrikin in him which was evident in a TikTok video posted with his children where he was wearing make-up and long eyelashes.

Paul Green stars in his daughter’s TikTok video.

Paul Green’s family shared a TikTok compilation.

The larrikin instinct stirred the night before he won the Brisbane Rothman’s Medal when he went out with his mates for a few beers and they shaved his eyebrows off.

Some deft make-up work by his mother and sister Lisa, who told the story, saved the day.

“Unfortunately, the night before Paul went out, had a big night out with the boys and they pinned him down and shaved his eyebrows,” Lisa said.

“Mum was furious but knowing he had the presentation the next night, mum and I came to the rescue, painting the two dodgiest eyebrows known to man.”

He accepted the award with two freshly painted brows which ensured there were no real eyebrows raised among those present when he went on stage.

Green’s friends and family did a wonderful job with their tributes which ranged from the moment which drew tears from the harshest heart when son Jed said how much he would miss his father to the uplifting moments of humour and family roasting in which Paul was playfully labelled by his sisters as “the golden child,’’ and “the little shit.’’

In a more serious moment his sister Peta said he rang her once for a Harvard project and asked what animal did he remind her of. She replied: “An alpha wolf. The traits you share – kind, compassionate, fiercely determined and strategic. We always had his back and he looked after our pack.’’

Paul Green’s family gave moving speeches.

Johnathan Thurston revealed when he hugged Green after beating the Broncos in the 2015 premiership he whispered “I wish you had come into my life earlier.’’

Thurston rated Green extremely highly as a coach but retained question marks over his fashion sense and admitting to throwing Green’s Birkenstocks in the ocean in the celebrations after the grand final win.

Cronulla’s Andrew Ettingshausen revealed Green loved Allan Langer so much he even practised Langer’s pet grubber kick while Langer said the sentiment was mutual.

“He was very hard to play against,’’ Langer said. “He brought the best out in me. We roomed together quite a few times. We had a great relationship, He was tough, intense and a great guy.’’

As the afternoon wore on the mood lightened with old stories about Green’s love of his mates, his family and old fashioned fun and a video was played of him singing Ice Ice Baby in a bar in America.

A rugby league player, studying at Harvard University, singing a hip hop song in a Los Angeles bar … it summed up a life like no other.

Green’s boss and long time sponsor Mick Power said it would be a major missions to honour Green’s life … and what a life it was.

Originally published as Paul Green celebrated as family, friends and rugby league legends remember a life well lived