>
Why Brad Fittler believes the Cowboys’ famous 2015 golden point grand final win WASN’T the best coaching effort of Paul Green’s incredible career
- 2017 finals effort might have been Paul Green’s finest coaching performance
- Cowboys’ quest from eighth position all the way to the decider was courageous
- If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
The 2015 premiership victory for North Queensland will live on in rugby league folklore, but NRL legend Brad Fittler believes the 2017 run to the grand final with the Cowboys may have been a greater achievement for Paul Green.
The death of the 49-year-old player and coach, who is understood to have taken his own life on Thursday, has thrown the footy world into shock and mourning.
His death completely blindsided his family and friends, who have reportedly said they had no inkling he was in such a bad state of mind.
Paul Green and the Cowboys team after the 2017 grand final defeat to the Melbourne Storm. Despite the loss, Brad Fittler believes just getting the side to the decider without some of its biggest stars was the coach’s finest moment
Most people will think of Green leading the Cowboys to the summit in their maiden NRL title in 2015 and being the first coach to beat Wayne Bennett in an NRL grand final was his crowning achievement – but there’s another performance that beats it, Fittler said.
‘Everyone is going to remember the year (Cowboys) won,’ Fittler told Channel Nine. ‘But I thought 2017 was one of the greatest coaching efforts ever.’
Jonathan Thurston and Paul Green share a moment after the grand final in 2015
The campaign he refers to saw Cowboys’ star halfback Jonathon Thurston out with a serious shoulder injury and their spearhead forward Matt Scott gone for the season after doing his knee.
As a result, nobody expected the team to get within reach of the finals.
The Cowboys ended up scraping into the postseason in eighth position but thanks to gutsy performances by players like Jason Taumalolo and Michael Morgan, Green’s squad made a fairytale finals run – winning game after game until they reached the decider.
At the time they were just the second team in history to make the NRL grand final from eighth position on the ladder.
Paul Green is sprayed with champagne by his players after winning the 2015 final against the Brisbane Broncos – but Fittler believes an even better achievement came two years later
The Cowboys were denied the fairytale finish, beaten 34-6 by Melbourne, and Green spoke about how taxing the finals run was on the team after they almost achieved the impossible.
‘Some of the things the guys have played through, particularly around injury, it’s been nothing short of remarkable,’ he said after the game.
‘If I single anyone out it probably doesn’t do the whole story justice, but John Asiata, Kyle Feldt tore his groin last week, Te Maire Martin should’ve been out for four to six weeks with a grade-two medial but only missed one game. (Lachlan) Coote’s calf.
‘There were probably four guys in that Tigers game that probably shouldn’t have come back.’
Paul Green and the 2015 Cowboys squad after winning the final in a golden point thriller
Green’s stellar coaching career began with the Cowboys in 2014 after he worked wonders while in charge of the Wynnum side in Brisbane.
He coached Queensland’s State of Origin team for one series in 2021. When he resigned from that job last September, it appeared certain he would resume his days as an NRL coach after meeting with Wayne Bennett about being his assistant with the Dolphins in 2023 and reportedly receiving interest from the Gold Coast Titans.
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636