Paul McGregor (rugby league)

Paul McGregor

Personal information
Nickname	Mary
Born	(1967-12-31) 31 December 1967 Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height	192 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	96 kg (15 st 2 lb)
Position	Centre
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1991–98	Illawarra Steelers	124	44	0	0	176
1999–01	St George Illawarra	34	13	0	0	52
	Total	158	57	0	0	228
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1992–97	Country Origin	5	1	0	0	4
1992–98	New South Wales	14	4	0	0	16
1994–97	Australia	3	1	0	0	4
Coaching information
Club
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
2014–	St George Illawarra	36	17	0	19	47
Source: Rugby League Project (player), Rugby League Project (coach)

Paul "Mary" McGregor (born 31 December 1967 in Dapto, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and current head coach for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative three-quarter back, McGregor played his club football for the Illawarra Steelers and then the merged St George Illawarra Dragons at the commencement of their joint venture in 1999. He remained with the club and was appointed interim coach following the sacking of Steve Price part-way through the 2014 NRL season.

Playing career

McGregor played five seasons of first grade at Dapto before being signed by the Steelers at age 23 in 1991. He made his first grade debut in round 1 against the Penrith Panthers at WIN Stadium on 17 March.

McGregor represented the NSW Blues in fourteen State of Origin games between 1992 and 1998. He added a touch of class to the Blues backline in the 1990s with his trademark step and wonderful offloads. He was a powerful runner of the football out wide and provided a great combination with his club teammate, Blues winger Rod Wishart.

At the end of the 1994 NSWRL season, he went on the 1994 Kangaroo tour.

He was Man of the Match in Game II of the 1997 State of Origin series.

He had played 124 games with the Steelers club from 1991 to 1998, scoring 44 tries. He was a part of the Steelers 1992 Tooheys Challenge winning side that defeated the Brisbane Broncos.

McGregor was the foundation captain of the St.George-Illawarra joint venture from 1999, leading the team into the 1999 NRL Grand Final against the Melbourne Storm. He spent time on the sidelines with injury that year and following a shoulder reconstruction he did not play during the entire 2000 NRL season. McGregor returned to the club in 2001 on an incentive based contract and retired at the end of the season, having played 34 games with the joint venture club.

McGregor was sidelined by a shoulder injury and so could not represent Scotland at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup

In 2011, the Illawarra Rugby League's centenary year, McGregor was named at centre in the Illawarra 'team of the century'.

Coaching career

McGregor joined the Dragons' coaching staff in 2002 as a strength and conditioning coach, a position he also held with the NSW Blues.

In 2009, with Wayne Bennett joining the club, McGregor left and took up the head coaching job at the Western Suburbs Red Devils club in the Illawarra Rugby League competition.

McGregor coached the Illawarra NSW Cup team in 2012 and 2013 before taking up the assistant position at St George Illawarra. His successor at the Illawarra Cutters was another former Illawarra player, Ian Millward.

Following the announcement of the sacking of incumbent first grade coach, Steve Price, McGregor was elevated to coach of the top tier team in May 2014, initially until the end of the 2014 season. Following improved form, McGregor was announced as the full-time head coach for the next three seasons until the end of 2017.

External links

• World Cup 1995 details
• Paul McGregor at NRL Stats