‘Funny, passionate, caring’: Legends’ emotional tribute to ‘wonderful friend’ Green

Former rugby league superstars Gorden Tallis and Corey Parker, and current Wests Tigers prop James Tamou, have delivered emotional tributes to Paul Green after the legendary player and coach died on Thursday aged 49.

Corey Parker briefly played with the diminutive halfback at the Brisbane Broncos in 2004, before Green went on to become the assistant coach of the club for their 2006 title-winning season.

Parker, who starred for Brisbane that season, fought back tears as he spoke of the impact Green had on his life and career.

Parker told Fox League: “It’s a truly sad day for rugby league and everyone in the rugby league community who have in some way been touched by Paul Green and what he was able to do. He was a lot of things to many people.

“To me personally, Greeny was a teammate, he was a coach, and more importantly he was a terrific and wonderful friend. My deepest condolences go to Amanda, (children) Emerson and Jed, and their extended family.

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“Greeny was one of those guys – it’s really hard to put into words at the moment, the raw emotion that the whole rugby league world is feeling about Paul Green.

“For me Greeny was that witty, funny, passionate, caring individual (who) no matter the circumstance found a way to accommodate your needs, to make you feel like you were the most important person.

“Greeny was incredibly talented in regards to his mind, in regards to rugby league, and that’s been well spoken about over the recent few hours.

“It’s a really sad moment … It’s just devastating to think that one of our own won’t be with you anymore.”

Parker added that Green’s old Brisbane squad also had a cheeky nickname for the pint-sized assistant coach.

“Greeny had a lot of nicknames – he was that guy who loved to be that jovial, parochial person among the group,” Parker said. “You’d love to have a beer with Greeny, and most people that know Greeny would have a great story about Paul Green having a beer.

“He wasn’t the biggest guy and he may have been shorter than Alf (Alfie Langer). We had a nickname for Greeny, at one point we called him Tugboat. He wasn’t quite a ship, he was just a little ship, and we called him Tuggy! It was one that he didn’t like.

“But for us guys, particularly being coached by him, we really enjoyed that time. He was that guy you’d love to sit around and chat (with). He had a really kind heart and a really astute brain about rugby league – but he was incredibly intelligent outside of rugby league.”

Tamou, who was coached at the North Queensland Cowboys by Green – including in their 2016 maiden Premiership – joined the flood of tributes.

“Thank you for having me on, I jumped at the opportunity to pay tribute to Paul Green and his family,” Tamou said on Fox League.

“He was one of the first to bring in a mind doctor to the group. He was ahead of his time.

“He was very passionate. He was honest and competitive.

“I’ve only heard the things he did as a player and you could feel that passion and that competitiveness as a coach.

“Those are very high level values of a high accomplishing human.

“It is very sad. I can only feel for his family. But it is really making me think of the good times and the great person that he was.”

“His players always came first to him,” Tamou added.

“100 per cent his players came first. He would get the best out of you. His honesty was one of the best things about him.

“That brought the best out of all of us that year. I could go through that team and we had the same year a couple of years before he started in 2014 – he brought that team together.

“I still remember the headlines around that time that the Cowboys had the team on paper but can’t get through the first round of the finals.

“Then Paul Green comes in and brings North Queensland their very first premiership. I’m getting goosebumps just talking about it.

“That’s just how he carried himself as a person and as a coach and I’m sure as I’ve read as a player.”

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Gorden Tallis first met Green back in 1994 upon moving to Sydney, and struck up a friendship as fellow Queenslanders away from home. They enjoyed many battles on the field before playing together in representative teams and briefly in Brisbane.

Tallis told Fox League: “What I remember, as a skinny little kid from Townsville, coming in and meeting someone like Paul Green who had a career in Brisbane (before moving to Sydney). He was a young star in Brisbane. He was winning all the awards there.

“Being a Queenslander, he sort of took me under his wing. He and Knuckles (Craig Greenhill). So the Dragons and Cronulla boys would have hung out for a while there.

“Our careers joined when he came back and he played at Brisbane (2004) and we played some rep footy together. I think I played for Australia with him, we played seven games for Queensland together.

“He was always one of those guys who, whenever he walked into the dressing room, he’d light it up.

“He’d have a big smile, and like all halfbacks, they always have something to say. It’s way too soon, he’ll be sorely missed. It’s a really sad day.”

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Tallis also recalled being at the 2015 Grand Final as Green coached the Cowboys to glory over the Broncos.

“That game, being a North Queenslander and watching your club Brisbane run out there play. Watching how North Queensland, I think, got their soul back that day,” Tallis said.

“They played so many wonderful games against Brisbane and they couldn’t quite beat them, and that moment, to be there at that game, one of the greatest grand finals if not the greatest grand final I was involved with – I was working there and I was supposed to go on an interview but I was emotional, I couldn’t get anything out!

“To see those scenes, Greeny will always be remembered in North Queensland. There can only be one coach to win them your first final and Paul Green (was it).”

“He just wanted to help people … I think playing with Greeny now I realise, you just think back, he was always coaching – like when you’d walk out, he’d always be: ‘Let’s try this, let’s do this, let’s do that, I think this will work, I think we can do this’.

“You wanted him in your trench.”

1999 State of Origin at Suncorp: The Qld team with the shield after winning the series – Back (L-R) Paul Green, Tonie Carroll, Chris McKenna, Martin Lang, Robbie O’Davis, Jason Smith, Shane Webcke, Brad Thorn & Jason Hetherington. (front L-R) Ben Ikin, Steven (steve) Price, Wendell Sailor, Adrian Lam, Gorden Tallis, Darren Smith, Darren Lockyer & Craig Greenhill.Source: News Corp Australia

Fox League’s Greg Alexander and Jessica Yates also shared their experiences with the NRL icon.

“I played against him and I had a little bit more to do with Greeny here at Fox,” Alexander said.

“After he retired he spent 2005 as part of the commentary team.

“I didn’t know Paul as a player, but I certainly took notice of Paul as a player because he proved that rugby league is such a great game no matter how big or how small you are.

“He might have been small in stature, but that didn’t stop him making a big impact on the game. He was a great player. I really enjoyed watching him play for the Sharks.

“49 too young.”  

Jessica Yates said: “I first met Greeny when I was 16 years old and he had a bit to do with my family.

“At that time I wanted to pursue a career in broadcast journalism and he was working at Fox Sports.

“I spoke to him about my ambition and he generously offered to introduce me to some of the executives here at Fox Sports.

“He didn’t have to do that. We had a meeting and that was what really inspired me to pursue my career at Fox Sports and in sports journalism.

“It wasn’t just the man we saw in rugby league. It was the generous spirit that we saw outside of the game, which I think shone through.

“You only have to look at the local community at Wynum to see the impact he had.

“It was also the extra mile that he went to for his dear mates. One of his friends was suffering from a disease and Paul Green went above and beyond to raise money for his medical bills to support him not only financially but emotionally and he rallied the troops.

“He always got everybody together to be there. Mateship was so important for him.

“I’ll always be grateful to Paul for the time he took to help a young budding journalist. To encourage me to pursue my love of the game.”