Enough is enough! - Herald. May 15, 1998.
BEING a professional sportsman, or trying to aspire to be the best at whatever your chosen field or career may be, means you are always going to confront obstacles that may be unpleasant. There are a lot of ups and downs, more ups than downs thankfully, and that's to be expected, especially in a town like Newcastle. But ever since we won the grand final I've noticed rumours and innuendo of the negative type have become increasingly the case for all the players and the coaching staff. The local gossip, someone in the pub or the office or wherever, tells someone something and then it does the rounds on the bush telegraph. It all seems to have snowballed for a lot of us. I used to believe in the saying `where there's smoke there's fire'.
If someone said something was going on, it might not be 100% true but there might be a grain of fact in there somewhere. But that is totally and utterly wrong and it's unbelievable how people allow their minds to get caught up in some wild and amazing stories. There are so many rumours I've heard about myself, and in most cases you just try to laugh them off as something that is part and parcel of the career you're in. I'm supposed to own 25 houses, I've had 12 fights, I've got 19 girlfriends, whatever. None of it really worries me, and the boys all see a bit of humour in some of the crazy stories we hear about ourselves. But the one that keeps coming up and has become distressing, for myself and particularly for my family, is the one that I've supposedly assaulted my wife, Pam. This is a total fabrication. It has never happened and never will. As rumours go, this one is in the worst possible taste and has crossed the line of decency because it involves lies about my family and my personal life. From the moment I met Pam she's had to deal with all the rumours and innuendo that I've spoken about, and I'm not complaining about that. As I said before, it's part of the territory. But enough's enough. There are some different versions going around and they are all as false as each other.
According to one, Pam is supposed to have turned up at hospital for treatment after I assaulted her. But I was at Coffs Harbour with the Knights for pre-season training. Another one says she's supposed to have gone to hospital with her sister. She doesn't have a sister. It happened in the middle of the night, the middle of the day, she had an apprehended violence order taken out against me; it just goes on and on. The only time Pam has been to hospital is to get the kids' immunisation needles. The reason I've made a public statement about it and written about it in my column today is because this has affected Pam and our family and friends and all the people close to us. People are coming up and asking Pam and her parents and my parents what's going on, so we all felt it was necessary to bring it out in the open. I shouldn't have to explain myself in any way but the facts are that we have been living with Pam's mum and dad and brother for the past 11 months while our place gets renovated. It goes without saying that no family would stand by while their daughter is being assaulted in their own home. It infuriates me that I even have to explain myself about something so infeasible and unthinkable. Domestic violence is a terrible thing. It's a problem in the community and people should speak out about it. It saddens me to be tainted with such an accusation. It saddens me further that I have to go public to answer the simple-minded gossips out there.
But if that's what it takes to ease the burden on my family, then I'll do so. I have my suspicions about the source of all the rumours but if anyone knows anything about where it started, please contact me because I'll pursue it through every legal channel with gusto. People can't just go around saying this type of thing. What really disappoints me is that people will just discredit everything you've done, everything you stand for and the type of person you are and would prefer to believe what they've heard from Joe Blow down the pub. That does hurt a bit. At the end of the day the truth is all that matters and I'll go on living a happy life with Pam and our kids, Emily and Luke. Hopefully, the lies about us will end today.

You're a Dishhead; Harragon blasts Dowling over Origin serve : Herald. Jun 9, 1998. 
HEAD SHOTS OF DOWLING AND HARRAGON RAN WITH QUOTES
NEWCASTLE Knights captain Paul Harragon has returned serve after former Queensland Test prop Greg Dowling criticised the NSW veteran in the build-up to last Friday's second State of Origin clash in Brisbane. In an article that appeared on the morning of the match, Dowling, known as Dishhead in league circles, described Harragon as `one of the weak links' in the NSW side. He suggested Harragon should have been replaced in the run-on team by fresh reserve Glenn Lazarus. Amazingly, Harragon knew nothing about the comments until yesterday when he was renovating his Dudley home and saw the article in a copy of The Newcastle Herald spread out on the floor. The article, written by Brisbane-based Australian Associated Press journalist Wayne Heming, appeared in The Herald and other newspapers that subscribe to the national wire service, but Harragon did not see it because he was in camp in Brisbane. `Harragon has got a lot of mistakes in his game. I wouldn't be surprised if Tommy (Raudonikis) started with Lazo,' Dowling, who represented the Maroons in 11 Origin games and played 12 Tests from 1984 to 1987, said. `(He) hasn't been hitting the line and turning like (he) has the last couple of years in the second and third phase of attack. He's playing hurt. I remember how tough it was in the latter stage of my career playing with a bad back. Your mobility isn't good and you can't turn as well to off-load. `It could really prove to be one of the weak links in the NSW side.'
Harragon questioned Dowling's motives for making such statements about a NSW player on the eve of such an important match, describing the former Queensland stalwart's comments as irrational and ill-founded. `You've got to question the motives of an ex-Queensland front-rower wanting to chop my head off just to make himself look tall on the day of a State of Origin,' Harragon said. `All it does is put a red rag in front of a bloke on the other team so it wasn't exactly the smartest move in the world. Maybe he just wanted to get his name in the paper.'
Harragon said he was just as astonished to read how the NSW pack as a whole would be unable to handle the firepower of the Queensland forwards. `After reading those sort of negative comments about my own form and fitness and demeanour, after getting over the initial anger of that, I just felt embarrassed for him,' he said. `But with one game still to go, I'll certainly be keeping his comments in the back of my mind.'
Harragon, who has played 17 Tests to go with his record 20 straight Origin appearances for NSW, was one of the stars of the Blues' series-tying 26-10 win over Queensland last Friday. He carried knee and back injuries as well as a dose of the flu into Origin I but showed no such ill-effects in the second match. Working in combination with fellow forwards Rodney Howe, Lazarus, Dean Pay and David Barnhill, his crunching defence and fearless charges inspired the Blues to a record-equalling victory margin to set up the decider in Sydney on Friday, June 19. NSW selectors are expected to announce their side for Origin III today.
Meanwhile, Harragon is a doubtful starter for the Knights against Canterbury at Marathon Stadium on Sunday. Harragon suffered a suspected torn cartilage in his troublesome left knee in the opening minutes of last Saturday night's 18-16 win over Cronulla. He will have an MRI scan today and see Knights sports physician Dr Neil Halpin for further treatment.

Successful surgery gives Chief shot at 21st Origin; Herald. Jun 11, 1998.
NEWCASTLE Knights captain Paul Harragon remains a chance of playing for NSW in next Friday's State of Origin decider after successful knee surgery in Sydney yesterday. Harragon returned home last night after the midday operation at a North Shore private hospital and was confident he could recover in time to play his 21st straight game for the Blues. The 29-year-old front-rower had torn cartilage removed from his left knee and the arthroscopy revealed no other damage.
`I've had similar operations before and pulled up a lot sorer than I have today so hopefully that's a good sign,' Harragon, who is out of Sunday's game for the Knights against Canterbury at Marathon Stadium and will be replaced by reliable bench prop Glenn Grief, said. `It feels OK so we'll see how it goes over the next few days.'
Knights surgeon Neil Halpin, who assisted knee specialist Michael Johnson with yesterday's procedure, said Harragon had every reason to feel confident about playing. `I think he's still a very good chance,' Halpin said. `We trimmed back the torn part of the cartilage, there's no other major damage there and it all went well.
`He'll start physio (today) and I'll see him again on Friday to see how he's progressing. In the end, it's up to (NSW medical officer) Nathan Gibbs, but Nathan's a very fair and reasonable man.'
Harragon will go into camp with the Blues on Sunday night for the usual fitness and medical checks but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to pass muster.
The more likely scenario would be that Harragon would be given until later next week to prove his fitness and for the Blues to bring an extra player into the squad to cover his absence from training.

Club spirit will pull us through dark hour; Paul Harragon. Herald.  Jun 19, 1998.
THEY say that to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and so it is with the Knights' current situation. We were hailed as the saviours of the game after our grand final win and the euphoria it created, but now it seems those who lauded that victory are going just as hard to destroy the club. Through some misunderstandings on behalf of a couple of players in the club they have tested positive to a banned substance, which they had no idea about. All of a sudden the media's bright spotlight has been firmly thrust upon the club in a negative light, which I believe is just not fair. But this will not tarnish all the efforts and blood, sweat and tears that we have put in over a long period of time. And I can assure our fans and followers of the game in general that we have nothing to hide. The Newcastle Knights are a very proud club and I can honestly tell you when it comes to compulsory drug testing that we will certainly put up our hands and be the first team to do so. I think it would be a crying shame if people looked at the Knights' success and efforts over the years any differently because of the events of the past week. We have really given it our all in a lot of facets on and off the field and it would be heartbreaking to think that people would feel any differently. I'm sure when Graham Richardson hands down his report I think you'll find a club that comes up standing tall. * The challenges won't stop after this week but right now it comes down to us focusing on the Canberra match. With the distractions and injuries, our depth will be tested to the limit as Canberra are getting all their players back and they are starting to play good football. Talking to players such as David Furner and Laurie Daley, the Raiders' confidence is back and they believe they are a real threat of winning the premiership. That is why I think it is a D-day for us.
Luckily we have been able to win the last few games that have gone down to the wire and we certainly haven't hit peak form yet. For my mind, the game against the Raiders will be a tremendous test of our toughness. 
* Aside from the whole drug saga, it has been a disappointing week for me on a personal note, having to withdraw from State of Origin III with my knee injury.
I've played in 20 straight Origins, never having missed one since I debuted in 1992. It will certainly be strange watching it at home with the kids and Pam.
Obviously I was devastated, but the one bright point was that I knew in the back of my mind that Tony Butterfield would take my spot. I was honestly so pleased when he got the nod that it made me feel much better. And there was a scene at our camp that I will never forget. There was big Buttsy walking into the Origin camp, and just to see the look he had on his face made me realise what a great thing playing at this level really is. There he was strutting around in the Blues tracksuit and it really was a special moment. I know for Tony it was an eight-year dream that finally came true. I suppose he really didn't have a right to keep on dreaming because at 32 his name had been thrown up many a time only to come away disappointed on each occasion. Most others might have given up but it was a mark of Tony's ability and dedication that he finally got there. He is an inspiration to all players, young and old. If you are to succeed, you have to hang in there and keep on giving your best. I have kept in contact with the team and Tony said the boys had a great time when they went to John Singleton's house.
He is talking so enthusiastically that I know Tony will turn in a big game. I predict he will be dynamic and I will even go as far as saying he could be man-of-the-match material. He's ready, he's ripe and he's certainly going to take the opportunity. 
* Let's make no mistake about it: this is one of the most important representative matches in years and not simply because it is 1-1 between us and the Maroons.
This game is important for rugby league itself. There has been a lot of controversy in the past week and hopefully this game will take the focus away from what has been happening and it will be something good for the game. The build-up, despite all the disruptions, has been good and I am confident NSW will win.

Knights all clear; Team appeal: stick with us - Herald. Jul 9, 1998. 
NEWCASTLE stars Paul Harragon and Matthew Johns implored fans to stay loyal to the Knights in their time of need as the national media spotlight focused on the club yesterday trying to rake up more turmoil. `I want everyone to hang in there with us because if they get behind us and stick solid, I think that very shortly could be one of the greatest days in the club's history. The greatest moments are yet to come,' Johns said. `We're not splitting under this pressure, we're not going our own separate ways or throwing our hands up and saying this is going to cost us our chance of winning the competition. This just makes us want to win it more.
`If anything, what's happened recently with the incidents with the three guys and the bagging that we're copping from certain sections of the media, when we win it again this year it's going to be so much sweeter.'
Harragon said the club had fought back from adversity and would rise again to recover from the latest dramas. `Our eyes are firmly fixed on the end of the year and we're on track,' the skipper said. `It was said after we won the grand final last year that it was sweet but would never be the same again, because nothing could be better than the first time. But considering the circumstances and the bombardment we've been getting from Sydney, this year would be just as sweet. `The best thing we can do as players to counteract all this is to win games and win the big ones.' 
Pointing out that the Knights were leading the competition, Johns said Novocastrians had nothing to be embarrassed about. `I've heard about television cameras and the media walking up the main street today asking people if they're embarrassed to be a Novocastrian,' he said. `But the best thing I can say to the people of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley is that come September, we'll make them proud and I guarantee that.'
 
Harragon mystified; League 98; Sun Herald. Jul 12, 1998. 
NEWCASTLE captain Paul Harragon says he is mystified about why he has been dragged into the drugs drama surrounding the club. Harragon has been forced to defend the fact that he and seven others were not tested until Thursday night at Marathon Stadium, while 17 of the club's top 25 players, including Robbie O'Davis, were tested after the Canberra game on June 21. "I wasn't at Canberra," Harragon said. "I had just come out of hospital after my knee operation. I can't believe the way some people are trying to link me to the issue and that I'm being forced to defend myself."

Harragon calls for a union safeguard;;  The Age. Melbourne, Aug 1, 1998. 
Newcastle captain Paul Harragon has called for an official National Rugby League players' union to be established before club numbers are culled from 20 to 14 in 2000. Harragon, claiming that at least 120 players would lose their jobs when the elite competition starts, said the time was right for players to have a united voice.
"Some players are in different unions, like the MEAA (Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance), but, really, we need our own union with board members elected by players," Harragon wrote in his weekly Newcastle Herald column. "I really see it as a must and the sooner it happens the better. Blokes are going to be out of work when clubs are cut and merged and the 'workers' need to be able to have the support of a union in these times. Maybe if we had a union a few years ago the Super League war may have been different . . . players would have spoken more openly to each other instead of going their own ways."
Illawarra and St George will field a joint side in next season's competition and have already told players whether they will be wanted. Meanwhile, Newcastle's grand final hero Darren Albert has been ruled out until the finals with a recurrence of a foot injury. Albert broke down at training on Tuesday and has been told that he has a microfracture within a stress fracture. "It's rotten news for him, he hasn't had the best season," said Knights manager Dave Morley.
Albert will undergo an operation on Monday to insert a pin in the small fracture. After scoring his legendary winning try against Manly in last September's ARL grand final, Albert suffered a stress fracture in his right foot on the first day of the Knights' pre-season training in January.
He refractured it eight minutes into his comeback in the Presidents Cup on 19 April, which ruled him out until his return against Melbourne last week.

Chief feels his way; Herald. Aug 10, 1998.
IT was what every red-and-blue-blooded Newcastle football fan has waited two months for, the sight of inspirational skipper Paul Harragon leading his beloved Knights onto Marathon Stadium. The number might have been different, Harragon wore 19 instead of his regular No.10, and his left knee was heavily strapped, but the Chief came through his first game since June 6 with flying colours. Harragon played almost half the game, getting heavily involved in attack and defence and his off-load in a tackle midway through the first half led to Owen Craigie's first try. `It's a little bit sore but nothing I didn't expect,' Harragon said. `It felt great to finally get out there and have a run.'
Harragon was penalised but not placed on report for a high tackle on Chargers second-rower Chris Nahi in the 21st minute. Referee Matt Hewitt took similar action against Gold Coast lock Scott Sattler for a high shot on Peter Shiels. Both tackles are expected to be scrutinised by the National Rugby League's match review committee today.

Harragon determined to make up for season  - 14 Sep 1998,  Newcastle Herald
NEWCASTLE captain Paul Harragon has laughed off speculation about early retirement despite having endured one of the most frustrating seasons of his stellar career. The 29-year-old front-row enforcer tore rib muscles early in Saturday's 28-16 loss to Canterbury at the Sydney Football Stadium and had to look on in agony and anguish from the sidelines as his leg-weary team-mates tried in vain to keep the Bulldogs at bay. Harragon has played only a handful of minutes in three matches since breaking down in the opening minutes of Newcastle's game against Cronulla at Shark Park on June 6. Two operations on his chronic left knee and a calf muscle tear in his right leg had the doomsayers suggesting he would not be back next year, instead bringing his planned retirement at the end of 1999 forward by 12 months. `She'll be right mate. I'll be back,' said Harragon, who will investigate non-surgical methods of repair and recovery in the off-season after seven operations on his knee in the past seven years. `I'll do some research on my knee, a bit of stock-taking, and just find out exactly what's wrong with it and see what I can do. `I'll be doing everything I can and I'm planning for a big year.' 
Harragon took a rib injury into the game and aggravated it in the opening exchanges. The injury restricted him to just a couple of brief stints in the first half. It brought to an end his most frustrating year since 1990 when knee, back and hamstring injuries had him contemplating retirement. `Having to sit on the sideline was the worst possible thing that could happen,' he said. `The fact that the game went an extra 20 minutes, every man and every minute counts and it all comes down to little things. `You don't make excuses but it comes down to manpower and we still had five or six blokes out but the boys fought on courageously. `For a 10-minute period we only had 12 guys so all that adds up.'

Chief runs into history - 8 Mar 1999,  Newcastle Morning Herald.
Newcastle claimed the two competition points and a place in history after Knights captain Paul Harragon stole the honour reserved for his Manly counterpart Geoff Toovey as the first athlete onto Stadium Australia. While no big deal under normal circumstances, the role held special significance on Saturday night as the National Rugby League's double-header showpiece was the first event at Sydney's new Olympic Stadium. 
As skipper of the home side, Toovey had been looking forward to taking his place in the record books. But just before kick-off Harragon, seeing the Sea Eagles were still in their dressing room, seized his opportunity and raced out onto the field to the deafening cheer of Newcastle fans in the world record crowd. ``I told him I didn't care what he did as long as we won," new Knights coach Warren Ryan said. ``Afterwards he came and said to me we'd done both.  With a majority of the crowd - more than the previous Australian attendance record of 87,161 before kick-off - cheering for Newcastle, captain Paul Harragon said: ``It was very similar to '97 at the Sydney Football Stadium." 

Harragon blunt in rejecting the knife; Inside League; Herald.  Mar 15, 1999. 
NEWCASTLE Knights captain Paul Harragon last night ruled out an operation for a groin problem which sidelined him from Friday night's 18-8 loss to Parramatta at Marathon Stadium. `No knife for me,' Harragon said. `I'm prepared to play the waiting game until I get right. I'll be seeing Neil (Knights doctor Neil Halpin) on Tuesday, but I can tell you there will be no operation.'
Harragon suffered the injury in Newcastle's opening-round 41-18 win against Manly at Stadium Australia on March 6. `I'm starting to feel good and I'll start slow jogging tomorrow,' Harragon said. `By the end of next week I'll give it a test and in my heart I feel I'll be right for the game against Manly on March 28. If I'm not, then I'll start over again and do the same work to get my fitness up to scratch, have a test again, and if I'm not right, then I will start over.'
Knights coach Warren Ryan said the Chief's injury was his main concern, especially if he is off the field for some time. Reserve-grade coach Steve Linnane said yesterday that the Knights had come through the Parramatta match without any real injury worries. `Peter Shiels had a cork but he'll be right and Jason Moodie suffered a few knocks and will be right for next weekend,' Linnane said. Ryan said he would have a good look at videos of the Knights' two senior matches on Friday night before naming the side to play Canterbury at Stadium Australia on Sunday. Ryan said after the Parramatta match that he was not pointing the finger at winger Lenny Beckett for any mistakes in the match, putting it down to inexperience. `But it's the old question of how do you get experience? You have to play,' Ryan said. `Lenny is doing a damn good job in an emergency for a kid. Of course, I would put Darren Albert or Adam MacDougall straight into the position if they became available. I'll be having a look at the tapes and have a real good look at the reserve grade. Greg Smith went very well and so did winger Shane Laloata and centre Timana Tahu.'
Darren Albert, Danny Buderus and Troy Fletcher are still on the injured list but may be available this weekend or for the return clash with Manly at Marathon Stadium on March 28. Albert is recovering from broken ribs and Buderus and Fletcher had shoulder operations in the off-season. `Buderus is touch and go for this weekend and Fletch is the same and Darren will be ready this week or the next,' Ryan said. Ryan said he was not `dispirited' by Newcastle's effort on Friday night.
The Knights fought back from a 4-0 half-time deficit to take an 8-4 lead before allowing two spectacular individual tries in the second half for Parramatta to grab the victory. `How it was only 4-0 at half-time beats me,' Ryan said in praising the efforts of Parramatta. `It could have been anything.'

Fit Chief chasing Anzac Test jumper - Herald. Apr 6, 1999.
KNIGHTS captain Paul Harragon is confident he has shaken his injury problems and hopes Australian selectors have not forgotten him for the Anzac Test against New Zealand at Stadium Australia later this month. Harragon continued his comeback from a torn groin muscle with a solid contribution in Newcastle's 26-2 win over Wests at Parramatta Stadium yesterday and will use the next two games against St George-Illawarra and Brisbane to keep pushing for a recall to the Australian side for the Test on April 23. The 30-year-old veteran of 17 Tests and 20 Origin appearances for NSW missed the last two Tests of last year's Trans-Tasman series because of surgery on his long-suffering left knee but is determined to remain in the representative arena in his final year of football. `State of Origins and playing for your country are the most enjoyable matches around, apart from grand finals and semi-finals,' Harragon said. `So if there's a chance for me to be there and they need me, I'll certainly be there and give it everything I've got.'
Harragon's name has been left out of most of the discussions about Australian front-row candidates, with judges outside Newcastle suggesting the likes of Jason Stevens (Cronulla), Robbie Kearns, Glenn Lazarus and Rodney Howe (all Melbourne) and Mark Carroll (Souths) are the main challengers to incumbents Shane Webcke (Brisbane) and Darren Britt (Canterbury). 

We need Chief -  05 May 1999,  Newcastle Herald
The Newcastle Knights have not won without captain Paul Harragon this year and will almost certainly go into Sunday's game against North Sydney at Marathon Stadium without him. Harragon has resumed training after missing the past two games against Canberra and Parramatta but is still undergoing treatment for his arthritic left knee. He was not named in the team announced yesterday by coach Warren Ryan. A study of results since the Knights won the 1997 ARL grand final has revealed that they have won 15 of the 19 games (79%) Harragon has played. Two of the four losses were in last year's finals, when Harragon had limited time on the field because of knee and rib injuries. Newcastle have won only seven of the 16 games he has missed through injury or suspension since the start of last season.  The NSW and Australian prop has played only five games this year and Newcastle have won four of them. They have lost three and drawn one of the four games without him. Ryan has not ruled out the possibility of Harragon, 30, playing against the Bears, but it depends on how he trains and whether he recovers from a third injection of Synvisc gel on Friday. `There's always a chance with the Chief,' Ryan said. `He's having his third gel injection on Friday and (Knights medical specialist Dr) Neil Halpin hasn't ruled him out yet. `Neil said it might be possible for Paul to play on the weekend. If he does, that will be a surprise packet for us.' Ryan said the Knights were learning to live without their skipper but hoped they would not have to. 
Harragon will retire at the end of the season and Ryan hopes the revolutionary treatment for his chronic knee problem will enable him to get through. `Paul Harragon makes such a difference when he plays,' Ryan said. `I think the rest of the boys know he's not going to be there all the time and that they've still got to do the job'. 

Chief brought to his knees - 28 May 1999,  Sydney Morning Herald
Newcastle captain Paul Harragon is likely to walk away from rugby league this afternoon. Harragon last night revealed he was considering retiring, with his career hanging on a diagnosis from club doctor Neil Halpin. Senior club officials are aware of Harragon's thoughts after the Knights captain spoke to chairman Michael Hill this week. Harragon, 30, will meet Halpin today and is prepared for the worst. He clearly has his teammates in mind. "Pulling in or out the last hour [before] the game is no good to anyone," he said. "My club knows that [saying] `I'm in or I'm out' [in] the last minutes has got to end. "As for now, that's it. Possible options are, obviously if the knee isn't going to get any better, pull the pin; [or] instead of having just two or three weeks off, have a good break on it and see if it improves and comes better. I'll give the gels [gel injections] a good sort of workout. "It's coming to a head." 
Harragon said the decision had been on his mind since the Brisbane game last month. He has a degenerative condition of the knee joint caused by the absence of shock-absorbing cartilage between the bones. Last month, a new type gel was injected into his knee in a bid to overcome the injury, but so far it has failed to respond as hoped. "I'm booked in to see Neil tomorrow and I'm really putting it on the line to see if my knee's going to improve, and if it's going to stay the same there's a real chance I'm going to have to reassess [my future]," he said. "There's been times where it's been crook all week and it comes good Friday and that's sweet. But the last month it's just been crook, crook, crook. I just get a break, I play one game and it gets crook again." 
Hill was reluctant to talk of a retirement, but said: "We've been concerned for a long time about Paul Harragon." It appears a day after the National Rugby League re- affirmed its stance on a 14-team competition, another of the game's icons may walk away. Harragon's retirement would come less than a month after the stunning retirement of Australian halfback Allan Langer. Harragon, has played just five games from 11 rounds this season. Meanwhile, Western Suburbs will accelerate their search for a joint venture after the NRL ended discussions about a 16-team competition next season. The NRL declared a 14-team competition "certain for next season". 

A hard man to replace: Johns  -  29 May 1999,   Newcastle Herald
`GOD doesn't make many big, tall, strong, fast, aggressive men like Chief Harragon and it will be hard to get a replacement for him,' Andrew Johns said yesterday, paying tribute to his Knights, State-of-Origin and Australian team-mate. `Losing Chief will make an obvious difference to the team,' Johns said. `I've played all my senior football with Chief and it will be a great loss not having him on the field.' `One of the highlights when I sit down and talk to my grandchildren will be to tell them I played with Chief Harragon ... I am so proud just to have known the bloke.' 
Ex Knights second-rower Peter Shiels has only been at the Knights since the start of last year but forged a special bond with Harragon in that time. As well as being the two biggest men in the Knights' pack, they share a love of boxing and have spent many hours training together in Wal Bentley's backyard gym in the back blocks of Charlestown. `He's a champion footballer and a champion bloke. In fact he's probably a better bloke than he is a footballer and he's one of the best footballers in the world,' 

Chief stood out in pack -  Stewart Roach - 31 May 1999,  Newcastle Herald
A knights player was once asked why he called captain Paul Harragon `Chief'. `Because he told me too' was the answer. It wasn't surprising. `Chief' Harragon stood out above the other Indians who have played for the Knights over the past 12 seasons. He was groomed for the position of club captain knowing the responsibilities the job carried on and off the field. And he had good teachers. Knights original captain Sam Stewart held the same aura. 
`Slammin Sam' treasured the honour of leading the `Originals', a team of players put together from all parts of Australia and New Zealand, and later England and New Guinea, who took the Hunter Valley to the forefront of league. Stewart led from the front, with his charges up the middle typical of Newcastle's style of play in those early days under coach Allan McMahon. Then came Michael Hagan, a true gentleman who played with finesse and style, rarely missing a game from injury, despite carrying the scars of battle. And then there was Sarge, Mark Sargent, the Newcastle Knights' first Australian representative, probably one of the toughest props in the game who also liked to lead by charging up the middle. They were all role models for Paul Harragon as he developed from a strong young winger in the Lakes United 1987 premiership side to a Knights junior and eventually club captain. Lakes United captain-coach Mick Pitman and his father Tom made the first impressions on the strapping youngster through his junior years. Harragon had the finesse of Hagan, the ferociousness of Stewart and the love of the club and pride of Sargent. And he had his own characteristics to put a special stamp on the position. He did it all on and off the field. He captained Australia in the World Cup match against South Africa, despite carrying an injury. He played a record 20 straight State of origin matches, the toughest it gets in rugby league. And eventually he held high the Optus Cup, the supreme team trophy in the code. Yet he stayed humble, just one of the hoi polloi. They stood as one at Marathon Stadium yesterday afternoon to acknowledge The Chief, everyone proud to have known him or seen him perform. But none deserved to be more proud than his parents Judy and Harold. 

Reilly praises `terrific bloke'; Farewell to The Chief; Herald. May 31, 1999.
FORMER coach Malcolm Reilly has described retired Knights captain Paul Harragon as Newcastle's `ultimate ambassador' who reached his goals at all levels of league. Reilly, now coaching struggling Huddersfield in the English Super League premiership, was saddened by news of Harragon's decision on Friday to end his career. As coach and captain, Reilly and Harragon guided the Knights to victory in the 1997 Australian Rugby League grand final, and their mid-field embrace after the game was one of many long-lasting images from that day. `It was obviously a big decision for him and I feel that it's a very sad occasion, for him and for Newcastle, because he's such a competitor and such a terrific bloke,' Reilly said. `He's stood up and been counted at all levels of the game and he addressed the ultimate challenge of winning. The grand final in '97 was a huge reward for him.'
Reilly arrived in Newcastle to coach the Knights in 1995 and within a few weeks appointed Harragon as first-grade captain.
The Super League war erupted less than a month into that season and Reilly and Harragon were given much of the credit for keeping the Knights and most of their senior players in the ARL. `I've really got nothing but admiration for him because he was such a great ambassador, the ultimate ambassador, for Newcastle,' he said. `I'm sure the Knights realised the importance of him staying with the club and I don't think he'll be lost to the game.'
St George-Illawarra coach David Waite played a major role in Harragon graduating from the Knights' lower grades into the NSW and Australian ranks. Waite was the Knights' coaching and development manager and reserve-grade coach when the club was formed in 1988. By mid-1991, he replaced foundation coach Allan McMahon as the first-grade mentor and held that position until the end of 1994. Under Waite's coaching, Harragon first broke into the senior representative ranks in 1992. The Knights made the semi-finals that year for the first time. Waite remembers when Harragon was just another player pushing to keep his spot in first grade.
`When Paul Harragon was a centre for Lakes United in 1987, before the Knights had even started, I don't know if he was an inspirational person,' Waite said.
`But he developed into a quality player, then he developed into a quality leader. I think as a leader he really grew as a person.'
Present coach Warren Ryan said Harragon's leadership was one of the reasons he came to Newcastle. `It's been a very frustrating time for him lately but, as Mick Hill said, he's been an absolute icon to the game,' Ryan said. `It's going to take some time to sink in, the fact that he's not going to be there at all now.'

Marathon man; Knights give Hunter hero dream send-off : Farwell to The Chief - Herald. May 31, 1999. 
EVEN before he put the microphone to his mouth to address his fans and team-mates, Paul Harragon choked on his words and his eyes filled with tears.
In an unprecedented day of emotion at Marathon Stadium, the Knights and their blue-and-red army of true believers farewelled their leader with wins in all three grades over The Sharks, culminating in first grade's 26-18 victory over the competition leaders. Harragon, who announced his retirement on Friday because of a chronic knee injury, was overcome by the response on `easily one of the best days of my life'.
Harragon walked on to the ground 15 minutes before kick-off to thank the supporters and his team-mates for helping him scale the sport's heights in the past 12 years. He had to wait almost a minute for the chant of `Chief! Chief! Chief!' to subside, then recalled the day the Knights were launched at the ground in 1987 and their first game against Manly in the 1988 pre-season Challenge Cup. `There was also another tradition started that day and that was the crowd that turned up,' Harragon said. `That support has never been surpassed by any other club, and I just want to take the opportunity right now, because there may not be another one, just to say thanks from the bottom of my heart to you guys. `Every time I've been able to do something good in football, you've always been there, and I just want to say thank you so much. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the players that I've played with, everyone involved in the club, and everyone who's lent me a helping hand over the last 12 years.'
Then, as they did on Friday when his thoughts turned to his team-mates, the words got stuck in his throat. `It ends up with the bunch of blokes standing over here,' he said, as he looked at the players standing 10m away. Win, lose or draw today, it doesn't make any difference to me but I just want to tell you how proud I am to be a Newcastle Knight and how proud I am to be your friend. Thanks boys.'
Harragon returned to the dressing-room with the players and stood in the middle of their pre-game huddle, when more tears were spilled by most of them.
He walked back on the field after full-time, called on by career-long team-mate Tony Butterfield, then having hugged every member of the team was chaired around by Bill Peden and Steve Simpson. `While today was a sad day, it's easily been one of the best days of my life,' he said. `I couldn't be any prouder. I know the boys were all trying so hard to win the day. `It's hard to describe in words but today is up there with the best of them.'

Big bloke's boys do right thing by him; Farwell to The Chief - Herald. May 31, 1999.
OF all the tributes paid to Paul Harragon yesterday, the most fitting was delivered by his team-mates in actions, not words. Down 8-0 early against the rampaging Sharks, it looked like the visitors were going to rain on Harragon's parade. But Chief's beloved boys weren't about to let him down. `We could respond in one or two ways,' Harragon's long-time front-row partner Anthony Butterfield said. `We could either turn it up because Chief wasn't there to lead us as he has for so long and so well, or we could thank him through effort on the park.'
Or as Matthew Johns put it: `He's been here so long and been so good that you sort of take it for granted, so I set myself today to have a big game for him and just to try and do some of the things that he does on the field. He never left us wondering. He never left any stone unturned. `He never went into a game without giving it 100 per cent, and that's how I'd like to go out when the time comes for me.' 
And so the Knights rallied to make sure Harragon got the send-off they so wanted for him. Later, his former team-mates stood back and applauded him as he walked through a guard of honour down the tunnel for the last time, waving a final farewell. Harragon had hugged them all after their heroic efforts in his honour.
Butterfield, the last remaining Knights `original', walked with him, each with an arm draped around the other's shoulder in a pose that evoked memories of the Summons-Provan photo. `Geez I'll miss the big bloke,' Butterfield said later. `Every rap he gets he thoroughly deserves.'
Harragon looked out of place in a shirt and tie instead of a muddied, bloodied jersey as he walked from the field, but he had the tie off and the shirt open as he sat among his peers, signing autographs, giving interviews and bouncing young son Luke. `The boys did me proud,' Harragon said. `I could tell the effort they were putting in, and today was one of the best days of my life for that reason.' 

Blues to honour Chief - Herald. Jun 9, 1999.
RETIRED Knights captain Paul Harragon will be one of three NSW greats honoured after tonight's second State of Origin game at Stadium Australia.
In recognition of their achievements for NSW in the Origin arena, Harragon, Sharks captain Andrew Ettingshausen and current Blues pivot Laurie Daley will be presented to an expected capacity crowd at the 110,000-seat Olympic complex. A video tribute will be shown on the stadium's giant television screens before the game and Harragon and Ettingshausen will join Daley on the field for a lap of honour about 10 minutes after full-time. Harragon, who played a NSW-record 20 straight games for the Blues from 1992 until last year's second match, announced his retirement from rugby league at all levels at an emotional press conference two weeks ago. 

Chief and company say sad goodbye to record crowd - Herald. Jun 10, 1999.
NSW legends Paul Harragon, Andrew Ettingshausen and Laurie Daley made an emotional farewell to Origin football at Stadium Australia last night.
The trio did a lap of honour after the Blues' win. Most of the record crowd stayed to pay tribute to the players and as if the big fellow himself was giving his own farewell, the persistent rain somehow stopped. To the tune of Maria Carey's Hero, the three big names strode around the ground to cheers, tears and backslaps as fans reached to get a glimpse of their heroes. `This caps it all off,' Harragon said. `Being out here with legends like Lozza and ET is just amazing. `Some of my best memories are of Origin football. Just to feel the atmosphere once more was just awesome.'  A good chunk of the crowd came from Newcastle, following on from Harragon's farewell at Marathon Stadium two weeks ago after he announced his retirement due to a persistent knee problem.

Chief's pain: A perfect day spoiled by bashing, drug rumours -  31 Jul 1999,  Newcastlee Herald
RUMOURS of drug-taking and wife bashing and attempts to woo him to Brisbane and Penrith - just some of the revelations in Knights legend Paul Harragon's autobiography to be released next week. Harragon's book, One Perfect Day, written with Herald league writer Brett Keeble, also supports allegations made in Malcolm Reilly's autobiography that the Knights hierarchy was keen and ready to join Super League. Harragon admits to `wariness' about what the Knights administration was up to. `It's fair to say that the players' decision to sign with the ARL must have run counter to whatever strategy the Knights hierarchy had in place at the time,' he writes. Harragon also reveals that Super League's big-money attack on Newcastle almost netted them Matthew and Andrew Johns, but in the end they stayed firm with the ARL and the Knights. The man considered the face of the Knights in the Hunter, the captain of the 1997 premiership-winning team and a Country, NSW and Australian representative whose injury-forced retirement shocked the city earlier this year, Harragon also writes about the down-side of living with a high profile in a goldfish bowl after the club's grand final win. `Andrew Johns and Robbie O'Davis wore more than their fair share of innuendo but 
the worst was saved for me,' he writes. `If being accused of bashing your wife isn't the most abhorrent accusation that could be levelled against a man, it must be in the top three.' 
Other `mad rumours' doing the rounds about him at the time included taking out transvestites, bashing up three blokes in a pub, knocking out Joey (Andrew Johns) in a fight and having a harem of girlfriends on the side. But the wife-beating rumour was no laughing matter and prompted Harragon to go public on the front page of The Newcastle Herald to end the rumours. Drug-taking rumours also hit the Chief during Newcastle's `drug wars'. Resting his knee after surgery, he missed a Canberra match that was followed by a drug test and the rumours began: `Harragon hasn't been tested. The Knights are hiding him. He must be on it too,' he writes. In 1992 Harragon found himself on the top of a Broncos short-list but knocked them back, while Phil Gould, then Penrith's coach, recounts that he spoke to Harragon in 1993 about an offer that `would have made it impossible for him to stay home'. 

A player who did so much more than just make the grade -  29 May 1999,  Newcaastle Herald
`I want to go as far as I can up the grades but I'm in no hurry ... the way I look at it the quicker you climb up the grades the quicker you can burn out.'  That was the way a 21-year-old kid spoke of the dreams that so many starry-eyed youngsters crave from rugby league.  It was 1988. With that quote from one of his earliest newspaper interviews the strapping youth with the raw intensity and talent to say he could barnstorm his way into rugby league's big-time also displayed a wisdom that should be reserved for someone far behind his tender years. His name was Paul Harragon. 
Harragon didn't just go up the grades, he reached the sport's peak. The record books clearly display his talent as a man and as a player. Captain of his club for five seasons, captain of Newcastle's only first-grade grand final-winning team and the ultimate, captain of his country. Throw in titles such as captain of Country and player of the year on three occasions, 20 straight Origin appearances for NSW, 17 Australian jumpers, a Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France and two World Cup assaults. But the greatness of Paul Harragon must be judged in the way he has and will always continue to be known as the player the fans adored with a godlike awe, and the man who had the total and utter respect of any player who ran out alongside him or took him on in rugby league's battleground. 
The image that he produced off the field ? that has grown into him now being known as one of the game's great statesmen ? truly does mirror the soul of Paul Harragon. A man who, despite his celebrity status, is a humble guy whose love of his family and the Knights is unrivalled. In fact, he really hasn't changed all that much from the time when the story on a new kid on rugby league's big block was written a decade ago. Even then Paul Harragon had come a long way. 

31 May 1999,  Newcastle Herald  -  Paul Harragon has played footy for most of his life yet he has only ever donned the jumper for two clubs. He started with Lakes and moved to the Knights. And that is where he stayed, giving everything all the way. Super coach Jack Gibson believes Harragon did the right thing. `Harragon always seems to take the right options,' Gibson said. `I don't know whether that is instinct or maybe it is that he is a great thinker.' Big Jack says the Knights should have been glad they had him. `A bloke like him does not come around too often,' he said. `You don't buy players like him to make up a team. You buy a Harragon to build a team around. `That is what Newcastle did ... did it pretty good too.

Hail the Chief  by Matthew Johns -  30 May 1999,  Sun Herald
I SAW the signs, but I still did not want to believe it was happening. I picked my brother Andrew up on Friday at 9am for Knights training and he told me Paul Harragon was holding a press conference that afternoon. I said to Andrew: "He's retiring, isn't he?"   I hoped to hear Andrew say something like: "No, mate! He's launching a brand of breath fresheners." But Joey replied in a sombre tone: "Yep." 
Arriving at Marathon I walked onto the ground to see Chief in his training gear walking up and down the field. I still held some hope that it wasn't true but as I approached him the emotion on his face said everything. I just patted him on the back. Ten minutes later, in the team meeting, he announced his retirement to the boys. At first he spoke almost matter-of-factly, but (as he told me later) when he saw the look on all the guys' faces his words became less fluent as his eyes glazed and throat tightened. When he finished, the silence was eerie. Brilliantly passionate is how I describe Paul Harragon. When you mix his passion with incredible mental toughness and an intimidating physique, it's clear to see what made him such a champion. He was an incredibly inspiring leader.  In the build-up to a big match the Chief would always build up the team, telling us about the effort that would be required. On game days, many times he would spell out exactly what he was going to do and go out there and do it, plus a little bit more. In the finals series of 1997, Chief was just on another level to anyone else. He showed us the way to victory and we simply followed. My favourite memory of Chief was in the first 15 minutes of the '97 grand final against Manly.  Manly had beaten us 11 times in a row before that match and we were heavy underdogs. Chief called a meeting the night before the match, a meeting which has gone down in legend as a real key to our victory. Chief chaired the meeting and asked all of us individually what winning the grand final would mean to us. A few of the boys cried openly and it was so emotionally charged that, as we left the room, Andrew declared: "We've got this game WON!!" In the dressing-room before the game, Harragon promised us that he would make the Manly players pay physically for the verbal barrage they had heaped on us over the previous two years. I remember Chief saying: "Boys, I promise you all that I am going to go out there and punish these blokes to the point of submission. I'll show you all the way to win this game. I'm gonna play in an absolute frenzy, the more the game goes on the harder I'm gonna hit 'em, I'm not going home to Newcastle a loser." 
Chief, true to form, backed up his words and in those opening 15 minutes he dished out an incredible amount of punishment. He may have given away some penalties but towards the end of that match the Sea Eagles forwards were walking wounded. To be honest, if Chief had played that way in a normal premiership round then I've no doubts he may have been sent off, but as he said the night before at the meeting: "They don't send you off in grand finals, so let's rip in." 
Chief's done it all, played State of Origin, played and captained his country, but it's in the week-to-week stuff that I have respected him most. Here's a bloke playing in the toughest game going around, in the toughest position and carrying a reputation that had young bucks and punch-drunk veterans all trying to be "the man who shot Liberty Valance" every time they played him, yet he stayed at the top for 10 years. Throw in all the injuries he has carried and you get some idea as to what sort of mental toughness he had. Finally, in writing this I feel a tremendous amount of sorrow. I suppose always knowing he would do the job, always seeing him play at such a high standard, always seeing him battle through injury, made me take the big bloke for granted. I think champions like Paul sometimes are a victim of their own standards and you start to expect superhuman feats from them. I truly wish I could have sat and worked this out before Friday. Chief, you are a truly great person and you were a truly great player - and it dawned on me on Friday night that I am going to be privileged to say to my kids that I played with Paul Harragon.
 

Harragon didn't just go up the grades, he reached the sport's peak. The record books clearly display his talent as a man and as a player. Captain of his club for five seasons, captain of Newcastle's only first-grade grand final-winning team and the ultimate, captain of his country.

The Chief, Paul Harragon, announced his retirement from football today.
28 May, at a 2.00pm Press Conference at Marathon Stadium.
'It is probably pretty obvious why I'm here today. I am officially announcing that I am retiring today and again the word obvious probably comes up that its my knee and since the Broncos game which is approximately six weeks ago the knee deteriorated to a factor where I could barely run and playing was near impossible,' Paul Harragon said.  'It became a case that as far as the team was concerned I was making my mind up whether I was going to play hours before the game and that made it hard on Warren (Ryan) and which also made it hard on the boys.
'The day of the Souths game was the same scenario and Warren gave me right upto the last minute. I went for a walk just in a hope that my knee might sort of come good. When I went for the walk it got to the stage where I could not even walk and I had to sit on a bench and I was in pain so it hit me then that its got to the point where it is ridiculous my knee has got nothing more to give. I pretty well made the decision then (to retire), I went and saw (Doctor) Neil (Halpin) on the Monday and then contacted the rest of the club and went through the procedure.'
'I would to thank the supporters, out of all the clubs supporters make the difference in Rugby League but in particular the Newcastle supporters are the best. I would just like to thank our supporters. I suppose the pinnacle was in 1997 the grand final it was something amazing (the support) and even just as lately when Robbie O'Davis and Adam MacDougall came back ... the support they were shown is just something phenomenal so I thank you very much.'
Newcastle farewelled their champion Paul Harragon on Saturday with a fittingly tough win. Then, just after the Sharks went to the dressing-rooms, the Knights staying on the field, the now-retired Harragon made his way out with a microphone.  The Newcastle players stood and watched as Harragon spoke. He recalled old wars and then broke down — to a standing ovation from the 24,101 league fans there.  A tribute was played on the big screen and the players clapped, fuelled by his words. 
Inside the rooms, Newcastle coach Warren Ryan and captain Tony  Butterfield spoke of playing with 'hard' heads, not letting the emotion override the fact they had to play football. The players linked arms in a circle and put Harragon in the middle, the Chief giving one last leader's address before the team walked out.  "I've never seen anything like it, ever," Ryan said.  And the Wok, who was there for Wayne Pearce's farewell lap for Balmain, too, said the bigger crowd and the suddenness of it all had rolled into one emotional afternoon.

Order of Australia -  Former Australian International Paul Harragon has received an Order of Australia honour for his services to Rugby League and the community. Harragon, along with Allan Langer have been made members in the general division in the Australia Day's honours list. Harragon also will be a torch bearer in Newcastle for the Olympics. Harragon has been a total credit for Rugby League in Newcastle and deserve this honour. 

Tina's song for our hero 31 May 1999,  Newcastle Herald
PAUL Harragon simply the best. It was rugby league's motto of the early '90s but the catchy ditty belted out by Tina Turner does sum up Newcastle's heart and soul. And that is exactly what Paul Harragon is. Not even the fact that he won't be out there on the field for the true believers to cheer for will change things. Harragon has done so much during his magnificent career that he will always be the Knights' favourite son. Testimony of this was displayed when the news broke of Harragon's decision to retire. A deathly shroud of misery started to descend on Newcastle with the knowledge that the player who had shouldered so much of the Knights' burden of making it to the top of the NRL tree would be gone. A wake-like joy will replace the pain and suffering ... and so it should. 
Harragon will be remembered for all the good times he helped fans enjoy, and for the great deeds he performed for Newcastle. One question remains. Can the Knights survive without Paul Harragon? That is how much Harragon means to this proud club. He will deny it. That is part of his self-effacing personality. But make no bones about it, Newcastle will miss him like no other other player. While all the testimonies to Harragon will pour in, really he has built his own rugby league epitaph.

Playing with injury - Rugby League Week
Harragon didn't give two hoots about life after football when he was an aspirering Knight cutting his teeth in reserve grade.  Thirteen years on, he has chronic knee troubles, can hardly run and hopes medical advancements will save him from a plastic knee. Luckily, he is popular and articulate enough to have secured a commentating role with Channel 9 - a career path available to only a handful of footballers. "When you're playing, that week where you have an injury and you don't know whether you're playing or not is the epicentre of the world.  Nothing else matters. "Commonsense could revail a bit more, but you're super dedicated and so intent on achieving your goals.  I've played with pain too many times to remember and ended with splitting headaches and nine arthroscopes. "These days I struggle a bit but its the legacy you live with.  I was well and truly consumed by football and didn't think 10 years head.  But, honestly, who does?  If I had the same choice, I'd do it again."

Despite pillow talk, Harragon's still in pain - 30 May 1999,  Sun Herald
PAUL Harragon sleeps every night with a pillow under his arthritic left knee to try to give him some pain relief. It is a strategy he has been using for several years. And his wife Pam, a radiologist, is sending him out this week to buy an orthopaedic pillow to try to ease the pain in his arthritic neck. And then there is the pain in his lower back. Paul Harragon has paid a huge price during his 10 years of playing rugby league with the Newcastle Knights, NSW and Australia. "I've lost count of the number of pillows I've brought home for Paul," his wife said. "But he always says they don't work. He'll have time this week so he can go out and buy one himself that works." 
Life in the household might start to get back to normal now Harragon has announced his retirement. Pam Harragon said their children - Emily, 3, and Luke, 2 - are going to miss their father playing football. But she admits it will not be the same without him playing. "The children love watching him play and I admit I'm going to miss it too," she said. It had been a stressful six weeks since the Knights' one-point win over Brisbane last month. "It was then that Paul realised he could not play on for much longer," she said. "He started to experience a different sort of pain in his knee and he was not getting much relief, even from the pillow at night. "We had long talks and he knew there was only one decision he could make." 
Harragon says the one benefit of his retirement will be the extra time he can spend with his family. "That is something I am really looking forward to," he said. And is Luke headed for a career as a rugby league player? "I hope not," Pam said. "But, unfortunately, he is showing signs of having inherited his father's love of the game. "I would rather he become a tap dancer. They make good money and they don't get hurt." 
Meanwhile, specialists are considering taking a piece of cartilage from Harragon's good right knee, growing it in a laboratory and transplanting it into his left knee. Harragon has worn away virtually all the cartilage, causing the bones to scrape together and creating arthritis. "It is one of the options they are looking at and we have discussed it," he said. "I am too young for an artificial knee because they have only a limited lifetime. The cartilage is something that is being considered." And if it works? "I might come out of retirement," laughed Harragon. "No you won't," said Pam. 

The greatest day of my life - Paul Harragon in the Newcastle Herald 
I have never been so proud. Sunday was an emotional roller coaster. I thought it was going to be one of the saddest days in my life but it turned out to be one of the best. Everything from the presentation before the kick-off to the response of the crowd, the game itself and then the aftermath. I didn't want it to end. Those memories will stay with me forever. But the thing that really sticks out was the effort of the boys. Nothing was going to stand in their way and they sent me out a winner. I was in the dressing room before the game and you could feel the pressure. And then for them to go out and do it was incredible. I can't thank them enough. I have never felt so proud when the raised me up on their shoulders and chaired me around Marathon. Football has consumed my life for the past 20 years. Little things like weekends away and trips to the snow were not possible. Every weekend revolved around football. I'm still training with the boys and staying involved with the club, but now I have more time to spend with my family and friends. 

Simpson idolises Harragon; Herald.  Jun 5, 1999. 
PAUL Harragon's big day out last Sunday was especially emotional for senior players such as Tony Butterfield, Andrew and Matthew Johns, Bill Peden and Robbie O'Davis, because they had played so much of their own first-grade careers with him. But the atmosphere also had an overwhelming effect on some of the Knights' rookies and rising stars. Nineteen-year-old second-rower Steve Simpson often made the trip from Broke to Marathon to watch the Knights go around, and Harragon was an obvious role model. `There was a big lump in the back of my throat when he spoke to us all before the game and it was an amazing day all-round,' Simpson said. `I just want to wish him all the best in his retirement. He's been my idol growing up through the years, and it was great to see him get the send-off he got. He really deserved it and I felt honoured to have been out there for it.'

A book for my kids; Paul Harragon talks to Brett Keeble about the motivation behind his autobiography, Aug 3, 1999. 
Newcastle Herald: What did you hope to achieve when you decided to sit down last year and write your autobiography?
Paul Harragon: People love their rugby league and I suppose I had a story to tell, but before I started I wondered if people would really be interested in reading about my life story. I don't really think there was any great motivation to do it but I suppose I thought it would be good to have a book for the simple reason to have something to pass on to your kids and grandkids, so they can have something to read about you.

Herald: What is the significance of the title One Perfect Day?
PH: Well, obviously the grand final in 1997 was a perfect day and so was the ticker-tape parade through the streets of Newcastle two days later. I spoke about that during my speech on the balcony at City Hall because there were 100,000 people there and it was a perfect day for so many people. But on a larger scale, one perfect day is what everybody wants in life: that perfect day when everything comes together better than you could ever imagine.

Herald: There has been enormous interest in One Perfect Day and the book shops and department stores are expecting a rush on them this week, but huge sales was never really your goal, was it?
PH: I suppose throughout my career, I always thought there were a lot of inside stories and facts to come out that hadn't all been revealed before. I thought there were some interesting stories to tell from my point of view about the grand final and the celebrations afterwards, and obviously the Super League war and those sort of things.But at the end of the day, if you worry about the success of the book or whether people think it's a good read or a bad read, you're destined not to be happy. As I said before, I just wanted to have a book that told my story and hopefully come up with something that, over time, when my kids eventually read it, they might be proud of their dad.

Herald: Are you proud of the book?
PH: We went over every word of it with a fine-tooth comb so we always knew what was going to be there and what the book was like before I actually saw it in my hands the other day. I was very happy with the finished product and the way it's turned out and I think it tells my story pretty clearly.

Herald: Now for a couple of questions related more to your career, rather than the book. Who were the best players you ever played with?
PH: In all the time I played State of Origin and Tests with Brad Fittler, I never saw him turn it up once. Freddy is known for his great skills and footwork but I always thought he had an enormous lot of courage and that isn't always spoken about. He carried a lot of burden because he was a playmaker but he always bobbed up in the big games. I'd have to say Laurie Daley too. Watching him perform, and seeing him get ready for a big game, nothing ever fazed him. In every aspect of his game, everything about him, he always demonstrated championship qualities; win, lose or draw; on and off the field. Alfie Langer was without peer when it came to a player who had the ability to turn a game around single-handedly and have total control over a game and which way it goes. He was phenomenal. And of course there's Joey Johns. Week in, week out, Joey shows toughness, resilience and strength apart from all his skills, and he's a player that every player would like to play with. The Johns boys, Joey and Matty, come from such a good bloodline and you'd have to go a long, long way before those blokes would let you down.

Herald: You had some memorable battles in the trenches with some of the game's hard men throughout your career. Who are some of the toughest players you locked horns with?
PH: There were a couple of Pommy front-rowers who were very vicious and very hard, blokes like Barrie McDermott and Kelvin Skerrett. I remember having a couple of good tussles with them in Tests and games on the Kangaroo Tour. Back home, I'd have to say that Gavin Allen, Trevor Gillmeister and Mark Carroll were always very tough competitors.

Herald: Mark Carroll always seemed to enjoy playing against you, especially when he was at Manly, and I'm sure he'll miss seeing you at Marathon Stadium on Sunday when Souths are here. What are your thoughts on Spud and that rivalry?
PH: At the start, I think the occasion caught Spud's imagination more than mine. He seemed to get pretty excited about wanting to get it on with me. Spud's just a player that does everything to the nth degree. Whether he's measuring his Gatorade powder in a cup, it will be exactly to the mill. If he's going to have his bananas before a game, he'll have 17 or whatever, so he's a perfectionist in a lot of ways. I think it started about 1994 when he was at Manly and maybe he saw me as a player he wanted to play well against. That started a long-running battle and games against him were always enjoyable and seemed to get the best out of both of us. We also got to room together a few times in some State of Origin and Australian teams so we had a few laughs too.

Herald: What does the immediate future hold for you?
PH: I suppose I'm in a state of flux at the moment but I will be staying involved with the Knights in some capacity next year and I will be doing some media work with Channel Nine and NBN and Foxtel. I'll also be continuing my close association with NIB. That has been going for about six years now and it's something I'm very proud to be involved with because NIB are a Newcastle company. I'm also doing some work for the Sydney Olympic Games and there's been a few things like that come up lately. 

Community says hail to the Chief  -  04 Aug 1999,  Newcastle Herald
CHAMPION is a term often over-used in describing Australian sports people. But last night that word echoed around Newcastle Workers Club as more than 1000 fans paid tribute to the Chief, Paul Harragon, at his testimonial dinner and the launch of his autobiography, One Perfect Day. Rugby league legends, TV personalities including host Ray Martin, politicians, business and community leaders and everyday disciples all paid tribute to Chief, the giant former Knights captain. They were there for one thing, to honour the former Belmont boy who has become the Hunter's inspiration. 

Testimonial dinner took my breath away  -  Paul Harragon - 6 Aug 1999,  Newcastle Herald
Tuesday was an unbelievable night and one that will stay with me for the rest of my life. You can't really anticipate the emotion and feeling you get out of experiencing something like that. It just hits you. It was an amazing feeling. To sit back and relive childhood memories among your friends and family. It really left me with a great sense of pride. While I had a rough idea of what was going to happen, they kept some of the details a secret from me. Things like the marching band and fireworks and some of the personal and video tributes just added to the whole spectacle. It was one of the best nights of my life. 

No hits or brawls, but retirement ain't bad, Chief tells Spud; Sun Herald. Aug 22, 1999.
HOW else would Mark Carroll note his rivalry with Paul Harragon but like this: "We'll go down in history for belting the crap out of each other." 
The manner of blokes who play the game up the middle, as this pair did, is that the harder they hit each other the greater the mutual respect - and the more often they knock each other out in some cases. Carroll rang the Newcastle prop when injury forced "Chief" to quit mid-season. Carroll just wanted to tell him how much he had enjoyed their clashes, how much he admired Harragon's play and to make sure there were no hard feelings. There weren't, of course. Harragon returned the call when the South Sydney prop, known as "Spud", announced his retirement, also because of injury, on Tuesday. "I just wanted to welcome him to the club," Harragon said. "And to tell him that it [retirement] is not as bad as it looks. "I said: `You'll have no regrets, you've crammed everything into the game that you could have and you can walk around with your head held high'."
Carroll is struggling to get in one more game for Souths. He missed the match with Manly last night because of the toe problem that has hastened his retirement and he can only hope he'll be fit enough for the last round against Parramatta. His career looks as if it is already over, but if that is the alternative to going out for a farewell game only to let himself and the club down, Carroll says he will cope. He said the on-field rivalry with Harragon, while ferocious, had been misinterpreted by some. "It wasn't a hate thing," he said. "We're just two blokes who played it as hard as we could. We seemed to keep running into each other on the field and then we started looking for each other. I remember we roomed together for an Origin game once, but it wasn't a great idea. It wasn't that we didn't get on, but we're both very intense and to have two blokes like that so close to each other while we were getting ready for a big game was hard for both of us. It was great to hear from Chief this week. You worry about what you're going to do when you give it away, but he assured me there was plenty to do and I believe him. I only have to look at my family to know there are good times ahead."
Harragon said that, apart from the 80 minutes of weekly torment while he watched the Knights play without being able to take the field himself, retirement was agreeing with him. Carroll said the thought of having to lose a toe to keep playing didn't sit well with him. Harragon suspects it was a lot closer than that.
"I reckon it came down to which toe," Harragon said. "It was the second-biggest, and you want to hang on to that, but had it been a little toe I don't know. I wouldn't have put it past Spud to have it off if it meant playing another season."

Chief supplies a bit of cheer on a bad night; Herald. Sep 6, 1999.
PAUL Harragon's appeal is far-reaching. Deep in the heart of Parra territory on Saturday night a young girl, who was with her blue-and-gold dressed family sat clutching a copy of Harragon's biography One Perfect Day. She held it close to her chest as she whispered and poked at her brother, who had `Go Eels' war paint on his face. Eventually he gave in, snatched the book and headed off to the back of the stands. About half an hour later he returned and passed the book to his sister. To her delight she opened the front cover to see the Chief's signature. The smile on her face stayed there for the entire match and the book never left her hand. 

Chief says Knights are holding all the aces  By Greg Prichard 
Paul Harragon respects this Parramatta team as much as he has respected any side, but he still believes Newcastle have four aces to play in the grand final.  One of them is obvious.  "'Joey' Johns," the "Chief" said. But the others? "Passion, experience and support."   Harragon, captain of the Knights when they won the 1997 ARL grand final, said the Eels astounded him.  "They're the best unit I've ever seen," he said. "There are no chinks in their armour." But, as he knows only too well after the Knights beat favourites Manly in what is their only grand final win, it still comes down to what you do on the day. "Newcastle are the right team to challenge Parramatta," Harragon said. "They are the team that deserve to be there opposite them. "As good as Parramatta are defensively, Newcastle have the ability to put points on them. Their game is good enough to do that. But it's going to be tough and that's where you've got to look for every possible advantage your side might be able to use. We've got grand final experience. Six of our blokes have played in grand finals, five of them in 1997, and Parramatta have only got one.  "We've got the greatest support any team could hope for and I know from experience that it can lift you. We've got an entire city behind us and our fans are phenomenal.  "We've got enormous passion, too. I realise the Parramatta players are passionate as well, but I just know how much it means to wear that Newcastle jumper.  "And we've got Joey Johns. Any team that has Joey in it has to be a chance to win."  Harragon said he could not be sure but he hoped that all of the dropped ball from Parramatta in the early stages of their 24-16 win over Brisbane last weekend was the result of nerves.  "If it was nerves, then it's a good sign for us," he said.

Chief, OAM  -  26 Jan 2000,  Newcastle Herald
FORMER Newcastle Knights captain Paul Harragon is one of more than 20 Hunter people recognised in Australia Day honours announced today.  The Chief, who brought down the curtain on his illustrious career last May, received an Order of Australia medal (OAM) for his services to rugby league and the community. And in a remarkable double, he has also been named as one of the Hunter's torchbearers for the Sydney Olympics. Harragon joined the likes of academic Professor Geoffrey Blainey, who added to his AO with a Companion in the Order of Australia (AC), Westfield property developer Frank Lowy, television executive Bruce Gyngell, former BLF secretary Jack Mundey and Australian women's cricket captain Belinda Clark on the honours list. Harragon said he was humbled to receive the award.
The 31-year-old front-rower played 17 Tests for Australia, 20 State of Origin games for NSW and 169 first-grade matches for Newcastle, but is best remembered for leading the Knights to their unforgettable ARL grand final win over Manly in 1997. `When I first found out I was very excited, very surprised and very humbled because something like this is a great honour. It's very, very special,' said Harragon, who captained Australia during the 1995 World Cup. `As far as awards go, it's a little bit different from anything I received playing rugby league but I'd have to put it right up there. `Receiving something like an Order of Australia Medal, it's a real responsibility that you have to live up to.' He was notified that he was in the running late last year, then confirmation and congratulations came in the mail earlier this month from former NSW Governor Rear-Admiral Peter Sinclair, the chairman of the Council for the Order of Australia. Harragon plans a quiet Australia Day at home with his wife Pam and their children Emily and Luke, and will attend a formal presentation ceremony in Sydney later this year. 

He hit like a bus, now Chief's torso ads impact; Herald. Feb 22, 2000.
NEWCASTLE residents will be seeing a lot more of the city's best-known body from today. The impressive torso of Knights legend Paul `The Chief' Harragon is a prominent part of NIB Health Funds' new advertising campaign. It represents one of two new marketing initiatives NIB is taking into the public forum. The other is a significantly expanded website presence designed and developed by emerging website management entity CiBiS in conjunction with well-known public relations firm NeatCorp. The first of the NIB-branded `superbuses' rolled into Newcastle yesterday for a preview. NIB managing director Colin Rogers said yesterday that the campaign had been designed to turn heads. `We wanted something that stood out and generated a bit of discussion,' Mr Rogers said. `It's a bit of fun but at the same time it sends a strong message.' 
The new buses will officially hit the streets of Newcastle this week, with Sydney and Wollongong to follow next week. NIB's new website also goes live this week.
Mr Rogers said the site provides many more interactive features including downloadable claim forms and brochures in a format that enables prospective members to browse on-line. The two marketing initiatives are elements of NIB's plan to turn increased awareness of private health insurance into ongoing membership growth, which has hit record levels since the beginning of the year.

Wok, Chief deny rift; Pair play down half-time dressing room banishment; Herald. Mar 29, 2000.
NEWCASTLE Knights coach Warren Ryan and former captain Paul Harragon insist there is no problem between them after Ryan dismissed Harragon from the dressing-room at half-time of last Friday's game at Marathon Stadium. Harragon, working with Channel Nine's commentary team for the game between the Knights and the Dragons, was asked to leave so Ryan could speak to his players in private. The 31-year-old former NSW and Australian prop, who now works for several television and radio stations, still works in a promotional role for the Knights and is a regular visitor to the Newcastle room before, during and after games.
`There was a slight misunderstanding but there's no problem there,' Harragon said. Ryan described the incident as `very minor' compared to `some stories I can tell you about things I've done in the past. I just wanted to speak to the team on my own, which is the coach's prerogative,' Ryan said. `Other times I've told the entire medical staff and all the trainers, give them what they need and get out because I want to talk to them on their own. Coaches sometimes do that but I haven't done that yet in Newcastle.'
In team news, Ryan named injured quartet Adam MacDougall (foot), Matthew Gidley (groin), Matthew Johns (ankle) and Danny Buderus (thumb) in the side to tackle Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium on Monday night. Ryan said MacDougall was the most doubtful, Buderus was awaiting a medical clearance but expected to play, Johns was confident of playing and Gidley would make his decision at the weekend. Sean Rudder has been dropped to first division to make way for Buderus but could still be ruled out because of a torn quadricep. Ryan decided to carry outside back Lenny Beckett ahead of Rudder as one of the four fresh reserves because of the injury clouds over MacDougall, Gidley and Johns. Roosters coach Graham Murray promoted Jack Elsegood from the bench to the wing in place of injured Shannon Hegarty (ankle). Prop Peter Cusack is up from first division and Nelson Lomi drops back to the bench for David Solomona.

Chief's feet feel heat in sole-smoking challenge - Herald. Jun 23, 2001.
FORMER Knights captain Paul Harragon is nursing slightly charred feet after walking on hot coals on The Footy Show on Thursday night. Leading by example on Chief's Challenge, Harragon showed some fancy footwork as a firewalker but admitted the smouldering coals stripped some skin off his soles. `They're a little bit tender, but it's nothing a bit of Savlon won't fix,' Harragon said. 
In 1995, the Knights crushed the Bulldogs 42-0 at Marathon midway through the season, yet the Dogs went on to win the premiership as Newcastle finished a game short of the grand final. Late last season, the Knights thrashed the Roosters at Marathon in the preliminary rounds but could not beat them when it mattered in the preliminary final. Newcastle might be struggling through a rough patch at the moment, but they will get internationals Andrew Johns and Robbie O'Davis back in a fortnight and have a favourable draw over the last nine games. Knights' next three Rd 18: 7.30pm, Friday, July 6, v Broncos (Marathon). Rd 19: 2pm, Sunday, July 15, v Storm (Marathon). Rd 20: 2pm, Sunday, July 22, v Warriors (Ericsson).

Chief quits chat-show circuit after cursed run - 07 Jul 2001,  Newcastle Herald
FORMER Knights captain Paul Harragon could struggle for another gig as a motivational speaker. Harragon addressed the Newcastle players at their team hotel a couple of hours before their 40-0 loss to Parramatta a few weeks ago. The Chief then answered the call from NSW coach Wayne Pearce in Brisbane last Sunday to deliver the pre-game address to pump up the Blues before the State of Origin decider. Queensland's overwhelming 40-14 victory convinced Harragon to keep his head down and mouth shut for a while. Meanwhile, Harragon's missing overnight bag is back in his possession. The bag was `lost in the system' at Coolangatta when mistakenly taken off his Brisbane-Newcastle flight last week but it was relocated and returned intact when Harragon flew home from Brisbane after Origin III last Monday. 

Captains -  28 Sep 2001.  Newcastle Herald
PAUL HARRAGON (1995-1999) 
'It's great to watch the game from a different point of view, but we all go through the emotions and I know what the players are going through. 'For me being there last time was just a wonderful feeling, and I feel proud and I love the tradition and club culture. 'Now it is good to see it's happening all over again. 'I will be right in the action on Sunday because I will be doing a commentary.' 

Grand final pressures sort out the men from the boys
By Paul Harragon,  September 29, 2001.  SMH
Life is great. -  The Newcastle Knights are in the NRL grand final tomorrow night, and for our team and our town, life doesn't get much better than that. Yesterday was exactly four years to the day since the Knights won the ARL grand final. I have spent much of the week reflecting on how special that game was, how that week unfolded, and the similarities to this week's build-up to tomorrow's game against Parramatta.  Standing at the SFS last Saturday night after the boys beat the Sharks, I felt like someone had reached into my head and pressed the rewind button back to 1997.  I remembered exactly where I was standing after we'd just beaten North Sydney to make the grand final, and all the thoughts and memories came flooding back. Looking on from the stands, knowing what it was like to go through all those emotions from a player's perspective, it was a strange but fulfilling feeling.
Speaking to the young blokes straight after the game, being in the dressing-shed to hear the passion belting out of the boys singing the Newcastle victory song, there was a powerful, strong feel about the place. That feeling has built steadily all week, and the game is now only a couple of days away, which leads me into why you win grand finals.  When you drag yourself out of bed every morning to do your job, whatever it is, the will has to be strong if you want to achieve the goals you set yourself in life.  No matter what you do, there are obstacles to overcome and difficult times to endure, and that is represented in rugby league.
Grand final fever will strike down any man - it doesn't matter who you are, what your stature in the game or how experienced you are.  You think you might be on top of the nerves, but they will hit you like a ton of bricks on the day of the game. It might not happen until an hour before kick-off, but it will get you if you're not prepared. Everyone experiences it. Everyone is nervous before the grand final. But if your reasons to succeed are so important, you will find a way to deal with the nerves through discrimination or reasoning or whatever. You can't let fear or nerves or anxiety get in the way or make your preparation less than what it needs to be.  It is one thing to deal with it before the game, but another when you are actually out there in the arena and can feel fatigue taking over.
People who are not regularly tested at such an intense physical and psychological level do not realise fatigue is a beast which can sometimes seem impossible to slay. When you are absolutely wasted - exhausted from tackling or running and getting knocked down - and the energy reserves are all but drained, when you feel like you have already done your best, the reasons why you are out there have to carry you through.  You still have to be honest and you still have to make it up and back into the defensive line.
In the 1997 final against Norths, Darren Albert was on the other side of the field and had no right to even think he could chase Matt Seers and run him down. But he did, he chased, and he tackled Seers and rolled him into the corner post with a centimetre or two to spare. Eighty minutes breaks down to 4800 seconds, and the grand final a week later came down to the last six seconds when Alby scored the winning try from Joey Johns' pass. Winning grand finals comes down to minute details and the last few seconds. You must be just as honest in those last few seconds as you were in the first few.  We saw similar examples last week against the Sharks, when Steve Simpson ran down Preston Campbell and forced him into touch. Paul Marquet did the same when Preston made a break up the middle, and Joey was wounded but still stopped Chris Beattie on the goal-line with a front-on tackle. It will take those extra efforts from everyone to beat this Parramatta team, who are statistically up there with the all-time great sides as far as single-season achievements go.
They have broken records in attack and defence and nearly established the widest for-and-against differential in the 93-year history of the premiership. They are a tremendously effective team in the true meaning of the word.  What makes them so impressive is the fact that there are no stand-out individuals.  None of them are in the top 10 for tries, hit-ups, offloads or whatever. They are just very talented footballers who have come together and gelled as a team. It will take the ultimate effort to beat them, but the boys know they can find that special, superhuman effort within to knock them off. The signs have been there and most punters have seen in the Knights the same sleeping giant.
Newcastle were deemed to be the only team capable of lifting and improving enough to challenge this mighty Parramatta side - challenge and beat them.  The Knights can establish a deep-seated tradition tomorrow night; that when they get to a grand final nothing can stop them.  The passion and emotion will be like a freight train. All that adds to the pressure and expectation, but coach Michael Hagan has been a calming influence on the players all year and particularly this week.  When all is said and done, it will be up to each player and how honest they are, how they will deal with the fear and nerves, and whether they can look the dragon in the eye. If their reasons are noble enough, they will do it.

Chief says Knights are holding all the aces RUGBY LEAGUE; Sun Herald. Sep 30, 2001.
PAUL Harragon respects this Parramatta team as much as he has respected any side, but he still believes Newcastle have four aces to play in the grand final. 
One of them is obvious. "`Joey' Johns," the "Chief" said. But the others?  "Passion, experience and support." 
Harragon, captain of the Knights when they won the 1997 ARL grand final, said the Eels astounded him. "They're the best unit I've ever seen," he said. "There are no chinks in their armour." But, as he knows only too well after the Knights beat favourites Manly in what is their only grand final win, it still comes down to what you do on the day. "Newcastle are the right team to challenge Parramatta," Harragon said. "They are the team that deserve to be there opposite them. 
"As good as Parramatta are defensively, Newcastle have the ability to put points on them. Their game is good enough to do that. But it's going to be tough and that's where you've got to look for every possible advantage your side might be able to use. "We've got grand final experience. Six of our blokes have played in grand finals, five of them in 1997, and Parramatta have only got one. We've got the greatest support any team could hope for and I know from experience that it can lift you. We've got an entire city behind us and our fans are phenomenal. We've got enormous passion, too. I realise the Parramatta players are passionate as well, but I just know how much it means to wear that Newcastle jumper. And we've got Joey Johns. Any team that has Joey in it has to be a chance to win." 
Harragon said he could not be sure but he hoped that all of the dropped ball from Parramatta in the early stages of their 24-16 win over Brisbane last weekend was the result of nerves. "If it was nerves, then it's a good sign for us," he said.

New member in Chief tribe The WORD; Herald. Dec 11, 2001.
THERE is a new papoose in the Dudley teepee of `The Chief' Paul and Pam Harragon. 
The former Newcastle Knights captain is a proud father for the third time with the birth of Daniel Harold at 7pm on Saturday night. The new brother for Emily, 5, and Luke, 4, weighed-in at 3.45kg (7lb 10oz) and 53cms.  Pam only had the weekend to rest up at NIB Hospital and was back home yesterday to greet all the well-wishers. `It was a good birth, no problems,' the proud father said.

Johns set to eclipse Chief's NSW rep record -  16/07/2003,  Newcastle Herald
NEWCASTLE and NSW captain Andrew Johns will pass former teammate Paul Harragon as the Knights' most capped State of Origin player in tonight's third game at Suncorp Stadium. Johns has recovered sufficiently from a debilitating dose of the flu and will lead NSW in his 21st Origin appearance as the Blues chase only their fourth clean sweep. The 29-year-old halfback equalled Harragon's record of 20 games with a man-of-the-match performance in NSW's series-clinching 27-4 victory over Queensland at Telstra Stadium three weeks ago. ``I wasn't aware of it," a still hoarse Johns told the Herald from his Brisbane hotel last night. I'm just wanting to get to the game. I trained today and I still feel a bit weak, but I'll be right." 
Harragon was also surprised to learn Johns is poised to pass his mark, which he set with a NSW Origin record 20 consecutive appearances between 1992 and 1998. Former skipper Brad Fittler (29) holds the NSW record for most Origin games, and Harragon believed Johns was capable of passing that milestone if he wanted to. ``I'm really pleased for Joey. He was always going to do it, and it's a great achievement," said Harragon, who will witness his record being broken first hand as a member of Channel Nine's commentary team. ``I reckon he's got another three years in him at this level if he wants to, which would give him a crack at Freddy's record, but records and numbers aren't what drives him. Those sort of things aren't something you think about when you're playing, and I know that's not what motivates Joey." 
Johns will lift the Origin shield regardless of tonight's result but said it would be a ``hollow feeling" if he did so after a Queensland victory. Having made his Origin debut in 1995, four days before his 21st birthday, Johns has started in 18 matches and come off the interchange bench twice. He and Harragon were teammates in the Blues' Origin campaigns from 1995 to 1998 and were key members of NSW's clean sweep in 1996. That was the only year either state has won all three games of a series using the same 17 players. After making his debut in the first game of the 1992 series, Harragon played 20 straight matches before injury ruled him out of Origin III in 1998. Only 72 hours ago, Johns was given little chance of making tonight's kick-off. He was bed-ridden with the flu and forced to stay home in Newcastle while his teammates flew to Brisbane. But he joined them on Monday, trained lightly that afternoon, and took an even more active role at training yesterday. Meanwhile, Knights front-rower Matt Kennedy will come off the bench, and Scone and NSW Country hooker John Johnson will start for NSW Residents in tonight's curtain-raiser against Queensland. ``I reckon Joey's got another three years in him at this level if he wants to, which would give him a crack at Freddy's record." Paul Harragon 
 

One Perfect Day - An Autobiography of Paul Harragon "To mark his final season of football, Harragon has written the story of his life, from his childhood amid Newcastle's tight-knit mining communities,  to leading his team to the ultimate victory. Told with uncommon candour and insight, One Perfect Day is the passionate story of an extraordinary sportsman and one of the game's great figures."

News: Paul Harragon Interview
Tough and Inspirational, Paul Harragon, "Chief", has been a towering figure and an inspiration during his time as a player and throughout his continued involvement in the game of rugby league. Jamie Winton caught up with him to find out about the real Chief and what makes him tick during life after football.
When you think of tough men of rugby league, you think Paul Harragon. The National Rugby League veteran of 169 first grade games for the Newcastle Knights, 20 State of Origin appearances for NSW and 17 Australian Test caps, Paul Harragon is one of the legends of the game. Born and bred in the Hunter, a small town Kurri Kurri, 'The Chief' as he is known, was an original member of the Newcastle Knights Football Club, signing on as a winger in 1988. With his great strength and plenty of size, it didn't take long for him to move into the forward pack and stamp his mark on the game. His love for the game, and in particular his beloved Knights, continues to show with him regularly attending Knight's match day preparations and watching them go through their paces at training.

Paul, you had a distinguished playing career, what are you up to these days?
Mostly media work, I enjoy doing the Thursday night and Sunday Footy Shows

What do you miss most about your playing days?
I miss the boys and the rainy game days as well. I really enjoy the wet conditions.

If you had to pick one moment in your career as a highlight, what would it be?
As a team, the 97 Grand Final. As an individual, the first time I was selected for Australia

Who were the three toughest opponents you ever played against and why?
Geoff Toovey - He would put his head where most blokes wouldn't put their feet
Spud Carroll - Big and competitive
Judy Harragon (mum) - Had me bluffed

Who are the best three players at the moment and why ?
Andrew Johns - Freak
Brad Fittler - One in 30 year player
Gorden Tallis - Raw bone strength

You will be hosting the AST tour following the Kangaroos to England in November. Having toured Britain previously with the Kangaroos what should tour members be looking forward to?
A trip of a life time, new friends, new faces and new places, but most of all they will be getting a double dose of tradition, Kangaroo Tours ooze tradition and nostalgia

The Kangaroos have not been defeated in 20 years in a Test series, is there any chance of them losing this time around to Great Britain?
The Australian Kangaroo's are the most dominating team in Australian sport. They will win again.

If the good guys at Australian Sports Tours offered you tickets and travel to any sports event in the world, what event would you choose and why?
There are so many the Pipeline masters in Hawaii would be one to watch, or a boxing heavy weight tittle fight in Vegas

If you could meet one sports person, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Ali - and talk about the Rumble in the Jungle.

What is your most prized piece of sports memorabilia and why is it so special?
My Australian Jumper because it was the completion of a life time goal.

Some quotes,  pictures and information from "One Perfect Day"

Brothers' advantage all in the body language LEAGUE 2002; Paul Harragon. Herald. Apr 19, 2002.
Dear Chief, Matty Johns has always been one of my favourite players and still is, even though he plays for the Sharks now. How do you think he will go coming back to Newcastle to play against the Knights, especially against his brother Andrew? I hope he has a blinder but I still hope the Knights win. Jamie Crew, Carrington Jamie, as `Big Kev' says, I'm excited. Andrew Johns v Matthew Johns, Friday night footy, under lights, in Newcastle, in front of 25,000 people at EnergyAustralia Stadium. I'll enjoy watching the boys for the same reasons everyone else will but because I've played with them, I can appreciate just how much they know each other's games to the nth degree. It's not just the physical aspect of their contest, or even how they can anticipate what the other one is going to do next in different situations. They can read each other's body language and they know how to get into each other's head. They will be doing all they can to annoy each other or put each other off because one can tell if the other has the bottom lip down. It will be interesting to see how much they have revealed to their team-mates about details of the other brother's game. Will Matty have told the Sharks how to get over Joey, because no-one would have a better idea of that than Matty? 
My tip is, from past experiences, that Matty will be under far more pressure than Joey.  Matty is the one coming back to his home ground after a week of hype.
But you can bet he will enjoy himself, relish playing against his friends and old team-mates, give his brother a bit of a facial when he gets the chance, and have some genuine fun. Dear Chief, I love Newcastle and the Knights and there is nothing better than seeing them win, but why don't they get as much praise as other teams for their good work? I also watch The Footy Show (you're the best one there) and I am quite frustrated that Newcastle don't get much of a rap. When the other panel members talk about them it is very limited. Anna Goninan, Merewether Thanks for the kind words, Anna. I know what you mean about feeling a bit hard done by as a Knights supporter. Parramatta and Brisbane were picked as the favourites for 2002 right from the start and we Novocastrians thought that was a lack of recognition and respect for the boys' efforts in 2001. I agree with you that on occasions, when some sections of the media describe a Knights victory it is more about how the opponents played badly than the Knights played well. 

League star supports concussion research -  22/9/03 
Paul Harragon, former Australian national and international Rugby League player, is supporting a unique project aimed at minimising the long-term effects of head injuries among school-age sportsmen.  As guest speaker at a public meeting in Armidale, he encouraged local parents, teachers and coaches to become involved in the project based at the University of New England (UNE).  Speaking particularly about Rugby League he said: "If you can create awareness in youngsters' minds before the age of 17, when concussion starts to become an issue, you're off to a good start."
UNE's "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Program", funded by the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation and grants from the University, employs a screening procedure aimed at the early detection of brain-function changes resulting from sport injuries. The researchers, from UNE's School of Psychology, have already tested more than 200 students at The Armidale School.   About 65 people attended the recent meeting at Armidale Ex-Services Memorial Club to hear Mr Harragon, who has long-standing concerns about the response of players, doctors and coaches to head injuries and concussion in sport generally, and National Rugby League in particular. "Rugby League is the only football code that has no rules in place, at the national level, for defining and responding to concussion," he said. "We should have rules to protect the players. I'd like to see the development of a culture in which the safety of injured players, rather than their desire to return to the field, is always the main consideration."
Channel 9 funded the visit to Armidale of Mr Harragon (who is one of the hosts on The Footy Show) to conduct "football clinics" at local schools. At the request of Dr James Donnelly, the leader of the UNE project, he agreed to stay on for the evening meeting.   "He very generously devoted several hours to talking to people about his and their concerns, and possible solutions," Dr Donnelly said. "The meeting raised awareness of the issue in the Armidale area, and led to new collaborations between our researchers and schools and coaches."
Dr Donnelly said computerised testing programs, that assessed all members of a sport team at the beginning of a season and then after any head injury, had been used in professional sport and leading universities in the United States for several years. He is the first to test children in this way, and to offer the program to schools. "Initially, some mild head injuries suffered on the sports field or elsewhere don't look like they'll have a lasting effect," he explained. "But as many as 15-20 per cent of children may continue to have problems with their thinking or emotions years down the road. We are developing an inexpensive and efficient method for screening mild cases that may need more follow-up."
The American company that owns the testing website (Headminder.Com) is making it available at no cost to support the project. This (as well as the grants) allows Dr Donnelly to provide free testing for local schools so that doctors, parents and coaches can make better-informed decisions about whether a child should return to play after injury.