Rugby League Football Career
He was a member of the St George rugby league team between 1986–1991 and the Canberra Raiders rugby league team between 1992 - 1994. His form for St.George Dragons between 1986-1991 was inconsistent as he was sometimes considered a future star for the club and a captaincy candidate and at other times was considered a liability, although, he starred in the victorious St George Dragons team that won the Panasonic Cup in 1988. He left the Club at the end of Brian Smith's first year of Coaching in 1991 to join the weakened Canberra club who had lost so many forwards after the 1991 salary cap investigation.
Osborne was unlucky in that Canberra made the Grand final in his last three years at St George and then St George made the grand final in the following 2 seasons. Although he was a regular first grader in his first two seasons with the Raiders, in his 1994, he injured his foot earlier in the season and didn't play much first grade. He had been organised a release from finals bound Canberra, and had been ready to fly to England to finish his career there.
In the 1994 Preliminary Final victory over North Sydney, John Lomax was sent off, and subsequently suspended. Tim Sheens (Canberra's Coach) felt that the reserve forwards he had been using in the finals (Brett Hetherington and David Westley) would lose their impact if they started, so he literally called Osborne back from the airport for the opportunity to play one last game - in the Grand Final. Osborne laid on two offloads which led directly to tries in the earlier stages of the match, playing an important role as Canberra won, claiming the 1994 Winfield Cup, and giving him a dream ending to his career.
Missing the flight to England terminated his agreements, so left without a club, Osborne joined the local Canberra competition, and got involved in local politics.
Read more about this topic: Paul Osborne
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