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\u201cIf someone was to ask me \u2018tell me about your life?\u2019. I\u2019d say it has been a surprise,\u201d Vautin reflected to Sampson.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up as a red-headed, freckled-faced teenager in Brisbane, I didn\u2019t amount to anything. I wasn\u2019t a great rugby league player at 10, 12, 13. No-one took any notice of me. I was a battler.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of a sudden when I turned 16 I got the urge and thought \u2018I might be all right at this\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each of the three Face to Face episodes covers a distinct phase in Vautin\u2019s career. <\/p>\n
The episodes cover Vautin\u2019s first on-field interactions with Peter Sterling, Arthur Beetson and Wally Lewis, the influences of coaches Frank Stanton, Jack Gibson and Wayne Bennett, plus grand final moments and the brutality of rugby league in the 1970s and 1980s. He also touches on the emotions of being pushed out at Manly, and his final playing years at the Sydney Roosters.<\/p>\n
Paul Fatty Vautin at home at Mermaid waters on the Gold Coast. Pictures: Adam HeadSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
EARLY PLAYING YEARS AND BIGGEST INFLUENCE<\/p>\n
Vautin played rugby league on and off during his junior years in Brisbane, and by his own concession, wasn\u2019t a standout youngster.<\/p>\n
However, a phone call asking Vautin to return to the game as a 16-year-old changed everything, he told Sampson.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually remember, I didn\u2019t play for two years. I stopped playing. And then a mate of mine, Kenny Rose, he rung me and he said, \u2018Paul we\u2019re short of players for West Mitchy [West Brisbane Panthers, formerly known as Wests Mitchelton] \u2013 which is my home club \u2013 \u2018can you come and have a trial with us?\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u2018I said \u2018I don\u2019t know\u2019. I said to Dad, \u2018What do you think?\u2019. He said \u2018give it a go, and if you don\u2019t like it don\u2019t worry about it\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyway I went out and played at Redcliffe, got back in the car, and the old man says \u2018I can\u2019t believe what you did\u2019. I said \u2018what did I do?\u2019. He said \u2018look at this\u2019: he\u2019d done my tackle count. He goes \u2018you made 46 tackles\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cFrom there I knew that rugby league was going to be my sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vautin famously signed a contract with Wests Mitchelton that year for the princely sum of $100 for the season. <\/p>\n
His tackling style helped him stand out in the Brisbane competition \u2013 a factor credited directly to Vautin\u2019s father, George Vautin, one of his biggest influences. His Mum Leila Vautin often stood on the sidelines with an umbrella in hand to ward off any vocal critics.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Dad taught me to tackle and it was \u2018hips, slide, lock\u2019. They can\u2019t go anywhere,\u201d Vautin smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMum was on the sidelines and she always took an umbrella. Even though it was 50 degrees and no rain. I found out why she took the umbrella, it was for when someone yelled \u2018get the red head, smash the red head\u2019 \u2013 and she\u2019d be chasing people up and down and belting them with the umbrella. True story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul Vautin pictured playing for Wests in 1978Source: Supplied<\/p>\n
A spectacular 75-metre try for the Wests in a semi-final of the Brisbane Rugby League competition that year would put Vautin on the radar of several Sydney clubs including Cronulla and Manly, where he would eventually sign for the 1979 NSW RL season.<\/p>\n
Fatty went on to become a club legend, playing 204 first-grade games for Manly between 1979 and 1989, and captaining the team to the 1987 premiership.<\/p>\n
It was during his Manly years that Vautin\u2019s famous nickname originated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a who\u2019s who of Australian rugby league,\u201d Vautin recalled of his first training session at Manly. <\/p>\n
\u201cComing towards me I recognise Fred Jones, who had captained Manly in 1972\/73 to their first two premiership wins. He\u2019s now the reserve grade coach under Frank Stanton.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe comes towards me with a Rothfields in his mouth and a KB in his hands, at training! He goes \u2018hello, who\u2019s this little Fatty then?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI go, \u2018hello Mr Jones, my name\u2019s Paul Vautin and I\u2019m from Brisbane\u2019.<\/p>\n
Graham Eadie had heard Fred say that, came over and said \u2018mate, that\u2019s you\u2019re nickname. Fatty\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was my welcome to Manly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jubilant Queensland State of Origin RL team with coach Paul “Fatty” Vautin after winning second game at MCG and the 1995 series. Sport \/ Rugby League \/ TeamsSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
THE WORD THAT CHANGED ORIGIN HISTORY<\/p>\n
Vautin famously played 22 games for the Maroons and oversaw a further nine as Queensland\u2019s coach later in life. <\/p>\n
In an era defined by brutality, Vautin held his own on the field. However, it is his call during a Queensland team meeting 1987 Origin decider that best embodies Fatty\u2019s contribution to Origin folklore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne gets to our first meeting and he goes, \u2018I want a call to arms. I need a phrase or a term that gets us going\u2019, you know,\u201d Vautin told Sampson.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreg Dowling goes, \u2018what about orange?\u2019 Oranges? We\u2019re not to calling them oranges. Gilly goes, \u2018yeah, what about apples?\u2019 Gilly, we\u2019re not calling apples. Then Alf goes, \u2018yeah, what about kumquats?\u2019 We\u2019re not yelling out kumquats on our try line.<\/p>\n
Former RL players (L-R) Steve Roach, Peter Sterling and Paul Vautin promoting the Channel Nine (9) TV show ‘The Footy Show’.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019m looking around, I\u2019m sitting at the back. And we\u2019re all in Maroon and Queensland this and Queensland that. And I go, \u2018what about Queenslander?\u2019 And it\u2019s like time stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone turns around and they go, \u2018how come you thought of that? You\u2019re not that smart\u2019. That sort of look. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe \u2018Queenslanded\u2019 the s**t out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
FATTY\u2019S UNLIKELY TV CAREER<\/p>\n
For many rugby league followers, Vautin is best known for his role as host of Channel 9\u2019s Footy Show, which began as a four-week pilot through the finals of the 1994 season before reaching cult status through the nineties and noughties.<\/p>\n
The lesser known fact is that Vautin started his television career with the ABC. Perhaps unsurprisingly in hindsight, his ad-lib style was short-lived.<\/p>\n
Vautin revealed he thought even the Footy Show would never see the light of day after a disastrous first episode with him in the hot seat, and Parramatta legend Peter Sterling by his side.<\/p>\n
The first episode of the Footy Show did not go well.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we\u2019re sitting at this first meeting and we\u2019re going on air in like two and a half hours and they\u2019re handing out all these scripts,\u201d Vautin remembered. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going, \u2018what\u2019s this stuff?\u2019 They said, \u2018well, that\u2019s your guidelines and script when you get guests on. This is what we want you to say\u2019. There\u2019s all these gags written. I said, \u2018so who wrote this s**t?\u2019 And there\u2019s a bloke sitting there and he goes, \u2018oh, that\u2019d be me\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vautin went against his better judgement, and famously \u2018winged it\u2019 in the first episode of the Footy Show.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re about to go out and Sterlo says, \u2018mate, are you actually going to wing it?\u2019 I said, \u2018no, watch this\u2019. Anyway, it was a debacle. The first show was a nightmare,\u201d Vautin laughed.<\/p>\n
To Vautin\u2019s total surprise, 600,000 Australians tuned in and the show was deemed a huge success. Vautin would go onto to host the Thursday night staple for the next 24 years.<\/p>\n
Watch Yvonne Sampson go Face to Face with Queensland and Manly legend Paul Vautin on Fox League at 7:30pm AEDT on Tuesday!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He\u2019s one of rugby league\u2019s most treasured icons. Now, Paul Vautin\u2019s incredible story has been documented in a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[2655,112846,64,63,689,137085,651,339023,339029,6173,339026,87611,339022,89762,763,339030,2485,339028,339034,339035,339033,52529,44450,247586,163967,761,762,158,677,339025,339032,121001,701,339036,159,339024,85,339031,47895,1080,143404,339027,11388,52517,1651,156099],"class_list":["post-695061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-abc","tag-adam-head","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-rugby-league","tag-brisbane","tag-brisbane-rugby-league","tag-changed-origin-history","tag-club-legend","tag-cult-status","tag-decorated-career","tag-final-playing","tag-footy-show","tag-fox-league","tag-fred-jones","tag-gold-coast","tag-graham-eadie","tag-grand-final-moments","tag-greg-dowling","tag-iconic-career","tag-jack-gibson","tag-manly","tag-maroon","tag-media-personality","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-oceania","tag-on-field-interactions","tag-paul-fatty-vautin","tag-premiership-wins","tag-queensland","tag-red-head","tag-rugby-league","tag-rugby-league-followers","tag-sports","tag-standout-youngster","tag-steve-roach","tag-sydney-roosters","tag-tackle-count","tag-television-career","tag-try-line","tag-wally-lewis","tag-wayne-bennett","tag-yvonne-sampson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}