Paul Vautin

Whole-hearted Queensland forward's career with the Manly club came to a jarring halt in 1989. Vautin came to Sydney as an 18-year-old from Brisbane Wests in 1979 and immediately impressed with his determined displays. The advent of State of Origin football saw the red-headed lock produce many inspirational performances, often as vice-captain to Wally Lewis. Vautin first played for Australia against NZ in 1982 but was dropped for the Second Test to make way for the return of Ray Price and subsequently missed selection on the Kangaroo Tour. In 1983, he was both 'Dally M' Player's Player and Representative Player of the Year, and made a return to Test football in the Second Test against Great Britain in 1984. Vautin played in 13 Tests during his career, touring NZ twice (1985 and 1989), but was fated never to tour with the Kangaroos (he broke his arm and was sidelined for the final three months of the 1986 season). After playing in losing grand finals in 1982-83 Vautin led the Sea Eagles to grand final glory in 1987 and was named 'Dally M' Captain of the Year. After spending the 1988-89 off-season with St Helens he returned to England with Michael O'Connor after the start of the 1989 NSWRL season to captain the club in the Wembley Cup final (Saints were thrashed 27-0). Vautin's support of coach Alan Thompson during the troubled 1989 season led to Manly offering him a greatly reduced contract and he reluctantly signed with Easts. His final two years were ordinary by his own standards - dropped from the State of Origin team in 1990 he battled injuries and a spell in reserve grade before retiring in 1991. Vautin established a lucrative career in the media and as the host of the Footy Show, his popularity with the game’s fans reached almost cult status. As an employee of Channel 9, he was a vocal supporter of the (Kerry) Packer-backed ARL in light of Super League defections in 1995. Replacing Queensland State of Origin coach Wayne Bennett he answered his critics when Queensland won the series 3-0 with an unheralded team of youngsters. He stayed on as State coach for two more years, losing successive series, before being replaced by Bennett when the code reunited in 1998. In 1999 Vautin successfully gained a place on the Manly Football Club Board, helping to oversee the troubled merger with Norths that led to the short-lived Northern Eagles, but was forced to resign in 2003 when boardroom politics came to a head. Biography, Fatty: The Strife and Times of Paul Vautin (1992).