Tragic death of ‘an out-and-out winner’

Rugby league coach Paul Green had been in talks to return to the NRL and had just celebrated his son’s ninth birthday when he took his own life.

Cowboys coach Paul Green hugs Johnathan Thurston after the north Queensland team won the 2015 NRL grand final. Picture: Getty Images

Rugby league champion coach Paul Green had been in serious talks to return to the NRL and had only just celebrated his son’s ninth birthday when he took his own life on Thursday.

It looked like everything was going right for the former player turned coach, who guided the North Queensland Cowboys to their first Grand Final win in 2015, one of the great victories of the modern era.

A day before, he spent time with his family to celebrate his young son, Jed. At the weekend the five-club and former Queensland halfback was beaming in interviews at a reunion with former Cronulla teammates at Sydney’s Shark Park.

Green, who also coached the Queensland Maroons in the 2021 State of Origins series and was set to serve under veteran coach Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins in Redcliffe, was found unresponsive at his Brisbane bayside home just after 10am.

It has been confirmed the 49-year-old father of two, who was to celebrate his 50th birthday in September, took his own life.

Paul Green playing for Cronulla in 1995.

Green had been a talented player in his youth but he made his mark as the architect of the North Queensland Cowboy’s 2015 premiership win over Brisbane, widely regarded as one of the best NRL finals of all time.

Cowboy fans will forever remember the moment when the game was finally won and Green embraced star player Johnathan Thurston, with eyes closed and smiles beaming.

As rugby league’s biggest names spoke of their shock and heartbreak after news of his death broke, the Green family revealed they were still coming to terms with the tragedy. “We are devastated,” family spokesman Lyall Mercer said in a statement. “We have lost a devoted husband, ­loving father and wonderful brother and son.

Paul Green was to celebrate his 50th birthday next month.

“We cannot find the words that would come close to expressing our feelings; however, we would like to extend our thanks to those who have reached out to us with their love and support.

“Paul was loved by so many and we know that this news will generate immense interest.

“However, at this time we ask for privacy.

“Our family is still trying to understand this tragedy and we request space and time as we come to terms with this loss.”

Paul Green training for the Queensland State of Origin team in 1999.

Neither Green’s wife, Amanda, nor his closest friends were aware he was battling mental ­demons.

Last week, he met with Bennett to discuss joining the Dolphins next season as his assistant.

At 4.30pm on Wednesday, Green called one of his most trusted associates, his long-time manager George Mimis, to detail a day of birthday celebrations for son Jed, his youngest child.

Less than 24 hours after Jed’s birthday bash, Green’s wife headed to the gym for a pilates session. She returned home to find her husband unconscious, prompting an urgent triple-0 call. Paramedics were unable to revive him.

Green’s seven-­season tenure at the Cowboys ended in 2020.

He was Queensland Origin coach last season and had been regularly mentioned as a coaching option at several NRL clubs.

Paul Green as Queensland coach last year. Picture: Getty Images

Green was keeping himself busy, doing motivational speaking and in July he took a trip to the Simpson Desert with his wife and two kids, Jed and Emerson, to attend the Big Red Bash festival at Birdsville.

With all that going on, former Cowboys chairman Laurence Lancini said he could not believe the talismanic coach was gone.

“This is so, so sad. I am a broken man,” he said.

“I had spoken to Paul just three days ago and he said we needed to catch up for a beer.”

After news of Green’s death, Bennett revealed he was in deep negotiations as recently as three weeks ago and they were trying to “work out” a contract.

Lancini said Green, who played 162 games in first grade with Cronulla, North Queensland, the Roosters, Parramatta and Brisbane and seven State of Origin games, was keen to resurrect his NRL career.

“Greeny mentioned he was keen to coach again and had some options and I asked if he ­really wanted to go back into it,’’ he said. “Greeny still had that real drive. He wanted to coach again.”

In recent weeks, Mimis said he asked the same question of Green on whether he wanted to return to the high-octane pressures of NRL coaching. Green had some scar tissue from a difficult finish at the Cowboys and Queensland’s drama-charged 2021 series loss but he was adamant: he had unfinished business in the NRL.

“Greeny was talented, intelligent, tough, resilient and more determined than most,” Mimis said. “He was an out-and-out winner. He had a quick turn of wit that always left you with a smile on your face. We have not only lost one of the great NRL icons … we also lost an incredible human.”

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys expressed his condolences to the Green family.

Additional reporting: Travis Meyn, Brent Read, Jessica Halloran

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