Paul Vautin facts for kids
.jpg) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Personal information
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Vautin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 July 1959 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Playing information
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 176 cm (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 90 kg (14 st 2 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Lock, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Coaching information
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paul Vautin (born 21 July 1959), often called Fatty, is a famous Australian rugby league personality. He was a professional player, captain, and coach. After his playing days, he became a well-known sports commentator and TV host.
Paul Vautin played for top teams like Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and represented Queensland in State of Origin. He also played for the Australian Kangaroos national team. He was known for playing as a lock or second-row forward.
After retiring from playing, Vautin joined the Nine Network in 1992. He called rugby league games and hosted The Footy Show from 1994 until 2017. He even coached Queensland to a surprising win in the 1995 State of Origin series. After 46 years in the public eye, Paul Vautin announced his retirement from Channel 9 commentating on 1 December 2024.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Paul Vautin became famous in the late 1970s as a talented rugby league player. He played for several clubs and represented his state and country. He finished his playing career in 1991.
Club Teams
Wests Panthers
Paul Vautin started his senior career at 18 with the Wests Panthers in Brisbane in 1978. He played as a lock forward. During this time, he got his first taste of big games. He was chosen to play for the Brisbane Colts team against the touring New Zealand side.
Soon after, he moved to Sydney to play for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. He joined them in 1979.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
When Paul Vautin first arrived at Manly, his coach, Frank Stanton, wasn't impressed with his fitness. However, Vautin quickly showed his skills, especially his tackling. He earned the nickname "Fatty" from a former Manly captain, Fred Jones.
He started in the reserve grade but soon moved up to the first team. He played second row and then his favourite position, lock. Vautin played in two Grand Finals with Manly in 1982 and 1983, but they lost both times to Parramatta. In 1983, he won the Dally M Second Rower of the Year award. He also won the Dally M Representative Player of the Year.
In 1985, Paul Vautin became the captain of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. He led the team to a big victory in the 1987 NSWRL Grand Final. They beat the Canberra Raiders 18–8. This was the last Grand Final played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. For his leadership, Vautin won the Dally M Captain of the Year award in 1987.
After their Grand Final win, Manly traveled to England. They played against the English champions, Wigan, in the 1987 World Club Challenge. Wigan won the game 8–2.
St. Helens
In 1988, Vautin went to England to play for St. Helens. He played 21 games for them during the 1988–89 season. His last game for St. Helens was the 1989 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. St. Helens lost 27–0 to Wigan in that game.
Eastern Suburbs Roosters
Paul Vautin returned to Sydney and signed with the Eastern Suburbs Roosters for two years. He retired from playing at the end of the 1991 NSWRL season. His last game was a loss to Penrith.
State of Origin Games
Paul Vautin made his debut for the Maroons in the 1982 series. State of Origin is a famous annual rugby league series between Queensland and New South Wales.
In 1984, Vautin also played in the annual NSW City vs NSW Country game. He played for NSW City.
He played for Queensland for nine years, missing only the 1986 series due to a broken arm. His last State of Origin game was in 1990.
International Matches
Paul Vautin first played for Australia in 1982 against New Zealand. This was four years after his first senior representative game.
He was not chosen for the famous 1982 Kangaroo tour team, known as "The Invincibles." This team went undefeated in Great Britain and France.
Vautin returned to the Australian team in 1983 for a tour of New Zealand. In 1984, he played against Great Britain and suffered a fractured cheekbone during the game. This injury kept him out of many games.
He played 13 test matches for Australia in total. He toured New Zealand twice, in 1985 and 1989. In 1988, he was part of Australia's successful Ashes series against Great Britain. He also played in a big win against Papua New Guinea in the 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup.
Vautin was the vice-captain for Australia's tour of New Zealand in 1989. He even captained the team in some tour games. He often competed with other great players for the lock-forward position. His final test match for Australia was a win against New Zealand in 1989.
Coaching Career
Paul Vautin had limited coaching experience before becoming a State of Origin coach. He had coached the Brisbane Capitols to a championship in 1992.
In 1995, during the "Super League war" (a big dispute in rugby league), Vautin was chosen to coach the Queensland State of Origin team. Many expected New South Wales to win easily because Queensland had many young, less experienced players. However, Vautin led the Maroons to an amazing 3–0 series win, surprising everyone!
Queensland lost the series in 1996 and 1997. After the 1997 series, Vautin was replaced as Queensland coach.
Life After Playing Rugby League
In 2000, Paul Vautin received the Australian Sports Medal. This award recognized his important contributions to rugby league in Australia.
The Footy Show
Paul Vautin became a huge TV star after he started hosting The NRL Footy Show in 1994. In 2005, he had a serious concussion while filming a segment for the show. He hit his head on concrete, but luckily, his helmet helped reduce the injury. He took about 10 weeks off from hosting to recover.
From 1992 to 2004, he was a key part of the Channel Nine commentary team. He called many club, State of Origin, and international games. After his concussion, he focused more on The Footy Show. However, he still joined the commentary team for big games like State of Origin.
In October 2017, Paul Vautin left his role as host of The Footy Show.
