Paul Broughton (31 March 1931 – 3 December 2022) was an Australian

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer, coach and club chief executive. He was the Chairman of the Gold Coast Titans in the

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

. He also served on the board of the North Queensland Cowboys. He has been described by some as an Australian

football identity.

Playing career

Broughton was graded at

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

in 1952, and captained the team to the Third Grade premiership in 1953. He played in Sydney's First Grade NSWRFL Premiership for

in the 1954 season before playing with Corrimal as captain/coach. He played 44 grade games for St. George in all grades (1952-1954). Broughton returned to the Sydney Premiership in 1957 with Balmain but was injured in the first match of the season and forced into retirement.

Coaching career

Post-playing Broughton coached the St. George Dragons in third grade and reserve grade (three premierships 1962–1964) and went on to become the club's chairman of selectors in 1968. He later worked for the NSWRFL before a season coaching Brisbane's Brothers club in 1974. The following season Broughton returned to Sydney with the Balmain club, whom he coached from 1975 to 1976, then Newtown from 1977 to the fifth game of 1978, after which a major internal upheaval caused him, along with reserve grade coach Dave Bolton, to be dismissed in favour of St. George legend (and ex-Jet) Johnny Raper and Bob Carnegie. After coaching Broughton worked as New South Wales Rugby League development officer. Following the removal of the

Gold Coast Chargers The Gold Coast Chargers were a professional rugby league club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from New South Wales Rugby League season 1988, 1988 to New South Wales Rugby League season 1994, 1994, the Australian Ru ...

from the newly established National Rugby League at the end of the 1998 season, Broughton worked towards the foundation of the Titans, and has been described as "the Godfather of Gold Coast rugby league". The Titans annual award for best and fairest player is named the Paul Broughton Medal in his honour.

Personal life and death

Broughton received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the

2017 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...

"for services to rubgy league, and to the community." He died in December 2022, at the age of 91.

References

1931 births 2022 deaths Australian rugby league administrators Australian rugby league coaches Australian rugby league players Balmain Tigers coaches Balmain Tigers players Corrimal Cougars players Newtown Jets coaches Place of birth missing Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league locks St. George Dragons players {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1930s-stub