NRL 2020: Broncos in play after Paul Green quits as Cowboys coach

Cowboys coach Paul Green has responded to the rumours reported to be behind his shock Cowboys walkout as details of a payout emerged.

James Matthey

@jamesmatthey

3 min read

July 20, 2020 - 4:51PM

Paul Green has quit.

Paul Green has left the North Queensland Cowboys immediately, telling his players today he will no longer be their coach.

The drums have been beating for a while around Green’s future and he and the club have decided to part ways as the Cowboys endure a horror year.

Assistant Josh Hannay will step in as interim coach but The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield said ex-Brisbane and Penrith coach Anthony Griffin is the early favourite to take over full-time.

Details of Green’s separation from the club emerged on Monday afternoon with The Daily Telegraph reporting Green is walking away with a payout of around $1 million.

Contracted until the end of the 2021 season, Green reportedly agreed to move on from the club after learning his contract would not be renewed beyond the end of next season.

The report also addressed rumours of a rift between senior North Queensland players and the veteran coach — with Green flatly denying he had a strained relationship with star playmaker Michael Morgan.

“This keeps bubbling along but it’s wrong,” Green told The Daily Telegraph.

“Morgo (Michael Morgan) came and saw me this morning. He said it was bulls*** and ‘where are they getting this from’.

“Once I told them I was going they all came and thanked me.

“There’s honestly nothing in it. The more I defend it the more oxygen you give it.

“We’ve just been through a tough period like what happens at all clubs.”

North Queensland has missed the finals the past two seasons and has slumped to 12th after 10 rounds in 2020, winning just three games all year.

“After seven years as head coach it is with a heavy heart that I make this announcement,” Green said in a statement. “The board felt that the club was at a juncture where they needed to move in a different direction, and I can only respect their views.

“Whilst this is obviously disappointing news, I am grateful to the board for allowing me to lead this club whilst creating some lifelong memories. I will use this next period to freshen up, spend some time with my family and assess options before moving on to my next coaching role.”

Speaking at a press conference, Green added: “While my time as Cowboys coach has come to an end, my time as a head coach has not so I’ll be looking for an opportunity at some stage.”

The Cowboys put up a brave showing against new ladder leaders Penrith yesterday, losing 22-10, but going into the weekend Green was reportedly aware that would be his last game in charge.

Daily Telegraph rugby league writer David Riccio said Green had agreed with management on Thursday he would step down after the Panthers clash.

Quite extraordinary, @nthqldcowboys coach Paul Green agreed with management on Thursday that yesterday would be his last game. Green was adamant he wanted to guide the younger players through one more game. Full credit to the man. Most wouldâ€™ve walked immediately @telegraph_sport
— David Riccio (@DaveRic1) July 20, 2020

GREEN ALREADY LINKED TO BRONCOS

Channel 9’s Danny Weidler said on Twitter the Broncos are an “obvious fit” if Green wants to continue his coaching career in the NRL.

Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold’s tenure is hanging by a thread as the Broncos languish in 14th, having lost seven of their past eight games and they’re coming off a 48-0 thrashing by the Tigers on Friday night. Despite being in just the second year of a five-year deal, many pundits believe Seibold doesn’t have long left at Red Hill as the club slumps to its lowest ever ebb.

Green played briefly for the Broncos before retiring in 2004 and held coaching roles there from 2005-2009, fuelling speculation he is being lined up to take over from Seibold. Club legends have blasted the organisation for its 2020 failures and called for someone who knows the fabric of the Broncos to take over.

So Paul Green to the Broncos, yeah?
— Steve Zemek (@stevezemek) July 20, 2020

Paul Green to Broncos? Bulldogs? Warriors?
— Chloe-Amanda Bailey (@ChloeAmandaB) July 20, 2020

I just donâ€™t see Paul Green quitting unless heâ€™s already got another job lined up #NRL
— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) July 20, 2020

WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE 2015

Before the Panthers loss, North Queensland had been hammered in consecutive weeks by the Roosters and Eels. In round eight, Parramatta thumped Green’s troops 42-4 and in round nine they went down 42-16 to the Roosters.

Green becomes the third coach to move on this season. The Warriors sacked Stephen Kearney in June after the club relocated to Australia amid the COVID-19 pandemic to keep the NRL season alive, and last week Bulldogs coach Dean Pay quit after he was told he wasn’t wanted in 2021.

The Cowboys won two of their first three matches against Canterbury and Gold Coast, but it’s been all downhill since then, losing six of their next seven.

Green, a former NRL and Queensland Origin halfback, was an assistant coach at the Roosters when they won the competition in 2013 and took on the Cowboys gig in 2014. He guided them to their first ever premiership in 2015 when a Johnathan Thurston field goal in golden point against the Broncos sealed the club’s biggest achievement.