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Paul Green’s wife Amanda has led a chorus of tributes as the NRL legend is being laid to rest at a moving service in Brisbane.
Amanda, speaking next to her children Emerson and Jed, revealed how the pair met in 1998 in her touching tribute at the invite-only service that was livestreamed for the public to pay their respects.
Click here to be directed to the livestream of Paul Green’s funeral.
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“Paul and I met at the Mad Cow in Townsville, an establishment of many relationships,” Amanda quipped.
“The day Paul proposed he said to me ‘you better strap yourself in because it’s going to be one hell of a ride’, and that it was.
“We had the deepest love and he made me feel deeply loved … we’ve always been a team.
“As heartbroken as I am today, I’ve loved every moment with Paul. I loved you yesterday, I love you today and I will love you tomorrow.”
Emerson and Jed then shared a moving TikTok compilation tribute.
Green’s close friend Mark Beitz also spoke, saying one word summed him up: “Loyalty.”
“(It was) his key trademark and it was a word he lived by everyday,” Beitz said.
“He was a perfectionist and he was just about perfect at everything he did.
“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 celebration of the premiership-winning coach’s life is being held at Wynnum-Manly Seagulls’ home ground — the place Green emerged as one of the game’s best.
Paul Green’s family, friends and peers are saying their final goodbyes in a service which began at 11am,
The 49-year-old took his own life earlier this month in a death that rocked the wider community with tributes pouring in for the beloved husband and father.
Former teammates and members of the rugby league community have begun arriving at the ceremony with 700 people attending.
Jason Taumalolo, Ethan Lowe, Kyle Feldt and Jake Granville arrived at the service as well as Cowboys boss Peter Parr and chief executive Greg Tonner.
Johnathan Thurston, John Lang, Steve Renouf, Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri, Todd Payten, Neil Henry, Brad Thorn, Kevin Walters, Brad Fittler, Trent Robinson and Bryan Fletcher are also in attendance.
Green’s friends Mark Beitz and Jamie Fitzpatrick, brother Rick and former NRL and ARL teammates Andrew Gee, Craig Greenhall, Danny Grimley will be the pallbearers.
It has also been revealed Green left one parting gift to the Townsville community as he prepared to coach the Maroons ahead of the 2021 series.
With Covid shutting down main cities on Australia’s east coast, Green orchestrated Townsville hosting Origin Game I.
His influence was revealed on the day of his death according to The Courier Mail’s Travis Meyn and QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher said Green outlined the “perfect opportunity”.
“He was the one that was most instrumental in getting that game to Townsville,” Hatcher said.
“Rob Moore (former QRL CEO), Paul and I were in the back of a cab going to a meeting and he said ‘you guys haven’t done enough to get Origin to Townsville, this is the perfect opportunity’.
“I texted the Premier (Annastacia Palaszczuk) and said we have to get active on this. She replied within 20 seconds and said ‘great idea’.
“The rest is history. It’s remarkable, everything else flowed from his push for it. That was Greeny.
“The odds are we won’t see another Origin game in Townsville.
“He had a passion for the game and state. He lived the values.”
Click here to be directed to the livestream of Paul Green’s funeral.
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