Career Record for Featherstone
Appearances			Tries	Goals	Drop Goals	Points
Total	Start	Sub
150	150	0	122	9	0	506

When one considers what Paul Newlove achieved in rugby league, one must be thankful that he chose this game and not football. As a youngster, he had trials with York City and no doubt could have gone far in the game. His phenomenal career began with the Rovers where his dad, John Newlove, had an outstanding career from 1966 to 1978. He signed as a seventeen year old from the Miners Welfare in August 1988 and soon made his debut on 27 September 1988 at Hull in the Yorkshire Cup, on the wing. Two matches later, his two tries at Warrington opened a try-scoring account which was to beat all records. It was already obvious that this was a remarkable talent and after 13 games the decision was taken to move him to centre where that talent could be even more effective - which is where he rightly remained for most of his career.

The Rovers had just returned to the First Division and the main question was how this youngster would fare amongst the senior echelons. The question was soon answered. From the outset, Newlove displayed a footballing maturity which belied his tender years.  As such, he made a tremendous impact. Not surprisingly, his first representative honour came on 20 January 1989, when he scored a try in Great Britain's Under 21 30-0 defeat of France at Leeds. Two days later, in the Rovers 24-4 win at Halifax, he scored an incredible try. He broke clear from acting halfback 80 yards from the Halifax line and then twisted and turned both the Halifax wing and full-back before outpacing them, and the cover defence... In the next match at Whitehaven in the RL Cup, he was again Man of the Match, scoring two more tries with powerful running... Against Oldham (at home) in March, there was another outstanding 75 yard effort... and so it went on. 18 tries in 10 appearances in his first season and a glittering future.

Paul's success continued inexorably. Voted Greenall's Young Player of the Year in 1989, he made his Yorkshire debut v Lancashire on 20 September 1989, on the wing, and within six minutes he had ghosted past McGinty and Hampson in high stepping fashion for the first of two tries in a landslide 56-12 victory. On 21 October, he was substitute for Great Britain in the First Test v New Zealand at Old Trafford and when he replaced Phil Ford after 76 minutes, he became the youngest ever Great Britain debutant at 18 years 72 days. He was a starter in the remaining two Tests, at centre, and his international career was well and truly launched. During the rest of his career with Rovers, his tally would increase to 11 appearances for Great Britain including the 1991 tour of Papua New Guinea and Australasia, 8 appearances for the Under 21 team and 1 appearance for England.  Against France at Headingley on 2 April 1993 he scored three tries in Great Britain's 72-6 win, a performance described by coach Reilly as 'awesome'.

On the club front, he registered 18 more tries in his second season, but he was disappointed not to gain a winner's medal in the Yorkshire Cup final with Bradford in November 1989. The Rovers lost 20-14, but might have won.  Newlove produced the best solo run of the game when he broke through tackles to race 50 yards, only for Bibb to miss the scoring pass! A series of niggling injuries disrupted his progress in 1990/91 and his presence was missed. He was back to full production in 1991/92 with 25 tries in 32 games, but this did not prevent Rovers from being relegated to the Second Division for the second time. The one season in lower company saw Newlove hit the high spots with a flurry of tries. In November, facing First Division Salford in the Regal Trophy, he engineered a surprise 18-14 win and jinked his way past several defenders to score the decisive try. A month later his hat-trick of tries against follow title contenders Oldham was crucial and Rovers went on to clinch the Championship. Against Bramley (at home) on 21 March 1993, another hat-trick of tries brought his tally to 32, equalling the club record of tries in a season by his wing partner Simpson, and a week later he set up the new record. As Second Division champions, the Rovers then finished the season in style by winning the Divisional Premiership Trophy final, beating a spirited Workington side by 20-16. Two tries by Newlove earned him the Man of the Match award and lifted his season's club tries to 48 and his full total to 52 - the first centre to score 50 tries in a season.

The inevitable then happened. Newlove's contract expired and after rejecting three new contract offers from the Rovers he was reluctantly transfer-listed at a world record price tag of £750,000. In July he joined Bradford Northem for £245,000 - a price determined by the RL tribunal. Understandably, he wanted to achieve more in the game and he did that particularly in his spell at St Helens.

As a footballer, Newlove had everything. He had pace, swerve and side-step, which allied to his bulk made him a formidable player. When he started playing, he was 13.5 stone, but as his weight increased to 15 stone, it only added to his armoury. As he has proved time and time again, 15 yards from the line he was particularly deadly as he used all his attributes with immense upper-body strength. How many tries he has scored is one thing - how many he has made for others is equally relevant. With his defensive qualities, he was the complete footballer and one of the outstanding players of his era. Many have described him as another Neil Fox, the outstanding Trinity centre of the 1950s and 1960s. He is certainly the only player who has earned that comparison, which is praise indeed.

Biography by Ron Bailey