Paul Vautin
Encyclopedia
Paul Vautin is an Australian sports television personality and former rugby league
footballer and coach. He currently hosts the NRL Footy Show and provides commentary for the Nine Network
's coverage of rugby league matches. An Australian Kangaroos and Queensland State of Origin
representative lock or second-row forward, Vautin played club football in Brisbane with Wests before moving to Sydney and playing with Manly-Warringah, with whom he won the 1987 premiership. He also played with the Roosters and in England with St. Helens. After playing, Vautin became a sports commentator for Channel 9. Later, during the Super League war
, he was hired to coach Queensland, taking the Maroons to a 3–0 whitewash of New South Wales in 1995.
in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership, the Manly Sea Eagles
in Sydney, St. Helens in England, Queensland in the State of Origin
and the Australia national rugby league team. He finished his playing career with the Roosters
.
Vautin was a "toiler"; a player who does a lot of work in defense. He was also an aggressive and explosive runner of the ball. Never the largest player on the field, Vautin had the respect of his opponents.
in Brisbane. He played at either Lock or Second Row. After moving from Brisbane's Wests club to play in Sydney, he played in Grand Finals with Manly in 1982 and 1983 but in 1983 was voted the Dally M
Player's Player of the year, as well as Representative Player of the Year and later enjoyed success in leading Manly to victory in the 1987
Grand Final. Following the grand final victory he travelled with Manly to England for the 1987 World Club Challenge
against their champions, Wigan
.
Vautin signed for St. Helens on 2 August 1988 and played his last match for them against Wigan
on 29 April 1989.
After returning to Sydney he played two more seasons with the Eastern Suburbs Roosters before retiring.
level where "Fatty" Vautin's performances were most notable. Vautin himself has commented on the passion that would be ignited whenever he pulled on his State representative jumper. He came on as a replacement in game II of 1982, scoring a try that swung the game for Queensland. For the next nine years he was a regular in those star-studded Queensland sides and produced many inspirational performances over 22 games, often as vice-captain to Wally Lewis
. He led the Queensland side in the first games of the 1988 and 1990 series.
. He played 13 Tests during his career, touring New Zealand twice. He was unlucky to never tour Great Britain with the Kangaroos when he broke his arm at the end of the 1986 season. In addition to the thirteen Tests he played for Australia, he played three tour games in 1985 and 1989. In the year 2000 Vautin was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league.
employer, Vautin was a vocal supporter of the Kerry Packer
-backed Australian Rugby League
during the Super League war
of the mid-1990s. He was considered an inferior replacement for Wally Lewis
as coach of the 1995 Queensland State of Origin team
. With Queensland having lost the last three consecutive series and being given a handful of young and inexperienced players, Vautin was expected to be on the losing side. However his coaching debut took a fairy tale turn when the young Queenslanders, without any of the stars from Super League
-aligned clubs, completed a 3–0 series whitewash of New South Wales that year. He was later replaced by Wayne Bennett.
and Peter Sterling
for several years.
since 1994, propelling him to TV stardom. He suffered a serious concussion in 2005 filming for the show in a segment called "Dare-Devil Dudes", when he hit his head on concrete, with a helmet luckily minimising the damage. He did not host for a period of about 10 weeks. http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/vautin-picks-up-the-pieces-after-devastating-fall/2005/07/23/1121539188794.html
Vautin later returned in the 2005 season of The Footy Show, but has vowed not to do any more stupid stunts.
From 1994 to 2004 he was a mainstay of the Channel Nine match commentary team along with Peter Sterling
and Ray Warren
. Since the concussion incident he has focussed on his Footy Show appearances but currently is still part of the broader Nine expert commentary team for big fixtures like the State of Origin.
Speculation existed that 2007 would be Vautin's last season as host of The Footy Showhttp://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,22457620-2702,00.html however he has continued with the show.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer and coach. He currently hosts the NRL Footy Show and provides commentary for the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's coverage of rugby league matches. An Australian Kangaroos and Queensland State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
representative lock or second-row forward, Vautin played club football in Brisbane with Wests before moving to Sydney and playing with Manly-Warringah, with whom he won the 1987 premiership. He also played with the Roosters and in England with St. Helens. After playing, Vautin became a sports commentator for Channel 9. Later, during the Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
, he was hired to coach Queensland, taking the Maroons to a 3–0 whitewash of New South Wales in 1995.
Playing career
Vautin made his name in the 1970s playing for the Wests PanthersWests Panthers
The Western Suburbs Panthers, often simply referred to as Wests, are a rugby league club from Brisbane, Australia. The Club is the oldest in the QRL and despite absences from the top grade in recent years and several name changes the club continued to operate...
in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership, the Manly Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
in Sydney, St. Helens in England, Queensland in the State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
and the Australia national rugby league team. He finished his playing career with the Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
.
Vautin was a "toiler"; a player who does a lot of work in defense. He was also an aggressive and explosive runner of the ball. Never the largest player on the field, Vautin had the respect of his opponents.
Club
Vautin attended Padua CollegePadua College
Padua College is a Roman Catholic boys' school in Brisbane, Australia. The college derives its name from franciscan friar Saint Anthony of Padua , appointed by St. Francis as the first Professor of Theology for the friars. Padua is the university city of Northern Italy where St Anthony died....
in Brisbane. He played at either Lock or Second Row. After moving from Brisbane's Wests club to play in Sydney, he played in Grand Finals with Manly in 1982 and 1983 but in 1983 was voted the Dally M
Dally M Awards
The Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. The most prestigious of these awards is the Dally M Medal which is only ever awarded to Australian born Players...
Player's Player of the year, as well as Representative Player of the Year and later enjoyed success in leading Manly to victory in the 1987
New South Wales Rugby League season 1987
The 1987 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eightieth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Thirteen clubs competed for the J J Giltinan shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the...
Grand Final. Following the grand final victory he travelled with Manly to England for the 1987 World Club Challenge
1987 World Club Challenge
The 1987 World Club Challenge was only the second game of its kind to be played between Britain's and Australia's respective domestic rugby league champions...
against their champions, Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
.
Vautin signed for St. Helens on 2 August 1988 and played his last match for them against Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
on 29 April 1989.
After returning to Sydney he played two more seasons with the Eastern Suburbs Roosters before retiring.
State of Origin
It was at the State of OriginRugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
level where "Fatty" Vautin's performances were most notable. Vautin himself has commented on the passion that would be ignited whenever he pulled on his State representative jumper. He came on as a replacement in game II of 1982, scoring a try that swung the game for Queensland. For the next nine years he was a regular in those star-studded Queensland sides and produced many inspirational performances over 22 games, often as vice-captain to Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis
Walter James "Wally" Lewis AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time...
. He led the Queensland side in the first games of the 1988 and 1990 series.
International
Vautin first played for Australia in 1982 in the First Test against New Zealand and next returned in 1984 in the second Test against Great BritainGreat Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
. He played 13 Tests during his career, touring New Zealand twice. He was unlucky to never tour Great Britain with the Kangaroos when he broke his arm at the end of the 1986 season. In addition to the thirteen Tests he played for Australia, he played three tour games in 1985 and 1989. In the year 2000 Vautin was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league.
Coaching career
Loyal to his Channel NineNine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
employer, Vautin was a vocal supporter of the Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
-backed Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
during the Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
of the mid-1990s. He was considered an inferior replacement for Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis
Walter James "Wally" Lewis AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time...
as coach of the 1995 Queensland State of Origin team
Queensland State of Origin Team
The Queensland rugby league team have represented the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908...
. With Queensland having lost the last three consecutive series and being given a handful of young and inexperienced players, Vautin was expected to be on the losing side. However his coaching debut took a fairy tale turn when the young Queenslanders, without any of the stars from Super League
Super League (Australia)
Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
-aligned clubs, completed a 3–0 series whitewash of New South Wales that year. He was later replaced by Wayne Bennett.
Commentary
Paul Vautin has been a regular commentator for Nine's Wide World of Sports' coverage of rugby league matches alongside Ray WarrenRay Warren
Ray "Rabbits" Warren in Junee, New South Wales is an Australian sports commentator, most famous for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches on the Nine Network. On occasion he is referred to as "The Voice of Rugby League". Ray also calls the action for Australian swimming team...
and Peter Sterling
Peter Sterling
Peter Maxwell John "Sterlo" Sterling OAM is an Australian rugby league commentator and former player. He was one of the all-time great halfbacks and a major contributor to Parramatta Eels' dominance of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in the 1980s. Sterling played nineteen Tests for...
for several years.
The Footy Show
Vautin has hosted The NRL Footy ShowThe NRL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award-winning Australian sports variety television programme, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates. Following the success of the AFL program of the same name, the Nine Network quickly developed a version for the rugby league market. The rugby league version has...
since 1994, propelling him to TV stardom. He suffered a serious concussion in 2005 filming for the show in a segment called "Dare-Devil Dudes", when he hit his head on concrete, with a helmet luckily minimising the damage. He did not host for a period of about 10 weeks. http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/vautin-picks-up-the-pieces-after-devastating-fall/2005/07/23/1121539188794.html
Vautin later returned in the 2005 season of The Footy Show, but has vowed not to do any more stupid stunts.
From 1994 to 2004 he was a mainstay of the Channel Nine match commentary team along with Peter Sterling
Peter Sterling
Peter Maxwell John "Sterlo" Sterling OAM is an Australian rugby league commentator and former player. He was one of the all-time great halfbacks and a major contributor to Parramatta Eels' dominance of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in the 1980s. Sterling played nineteen Tests for...
and Ray Warren
Ray Warren
Ray "Rabbits" Warren in Junee, New South Wales is an Australian sports commentator, most famous for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches on the Nine Network. On occasion he is referred to as "The Voice of Rugby League". Ray also calls the action for Australian swimming team...
. Since the concussion incident he has focussed on his Footy Show appearances but currently is still part of the broader Nine expert commentary team for big fixtures like the State of Origin.
Speculation existed that 2007 would be Vautin's last season as host of The Footy Showhttp://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,22457620-2702,00.html however he has continued with the show.
Sources
- Colman, Mike (1992) Fatty: The Strife and Times of Paul Vautin, Ironbark Press, Sydney
- Vautin, Paul: Turn It Up! The life and thoughts of Paul "Fatty" Vautin; Pan Publishing, Sydney, 1995. A collection of articles Vautin has written between late 1993 (including his appearance and well-publicised catch in an all-stars cricket match in Tasmania) and the end of 1994, covering some of his past and views on current events of the time.
- Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League, Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
- Big League, State of Origin 25 Years Collectors Edition 1980–2005, News Magazines, Sydney