The rugby league community paid their respects to the legendary Paul Green as he was honoured at a lengthy memorial service today (August 30).
The celebration of his legacy and life was held at Kougari Oval in his hometown of Wynnum in front of 700 guests.
It was a touching and emotional event for the Australian sporting world to bid farewell to Green who tragically took his life last month at age 49.
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His wife Amanda, son Jed and daughter Emerson gave moving speeches at the service for their beloved husband and father.
Amanda said: “I loved you yesterday, I love you today and I will love you forever.
“The day Paul proposed to me, I clearly remember him saying, ‘You better strap yourself in babe, this is going to be one hell of a ride’.
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“What a ride it has been.
“All life’s challenges we navigated together. We were a team and we made decisions that were best for our team. He was a natural when it came to parenting.
She later quipped: “We were introduced at the Mad Cow, the venue for all good relationships in Townsville. We connected instantly. I knew from that moment there was something special about this man. He was engaging, intelligent, cheeky and so much fun."
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Adding: “As heartbroken as I am, I am equally grateful for every moment we had together.”
Green’s close friend Mark Beitz also delivered a eulogy in honour of the late NRL legend, sharing that there was one word that defined the man: “Loyalty.”
“It was a word he lived by every day,” Beitz said.
“He was a perfectionist and he was just about perfect at everything he did.
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“And intelligence. Deeds not words – this is what Paul lived by.
“To Emmy and Jed, dad’s looking down on you today and is extremely proud of you both.”
The public memorial included scenes of Green’s most celebrated and treasured memories that encapsulated the legacy that the former Premiership-winning coach will leave.
The likes of Johnathan Thurston, Jason Taumolo, Ethan Lowe, Kyle Feldt, and Jake Granville from that 2015 NRL Premiership winning team were in attendance.
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Other rugby league legends such as Trent Robinson, Kevin Walters, Brad Fittler, Bryan Fletcher, Wendell Sailor, and Lote Tuqiri were also in attendance.
Topics: Australia, Rugby League
Jayden Collins