People sometimes forget that rugby league players don’t go on forever.
In their hey day, they run around a field taking contact akin to car crashes, before putting their feet up around the early-to-late 30s mark – though some do, of course, last longer such as Steve Menzies and Andy Lynch.
With the retirement age now well into the 60s for society in general, that leaves an extra 30 years’ work to find from somewhere, and, sometimes that leads rugby league players down weird and wonderful new careers.
For former Hull KR, Salford Red Devil and Toronto Wolfpack star Cory Paterson, life after rugby has taken him to the stage.
On his Instagram page, it lists the ex-Super League forward as an actor under Andromeda talent, whilst also being a director of the Jacora coffee business.
So not only does Paterson break a leg for a living, he also wakes up and smells the coffee!
Paterson first came to UK shores in 2013, signing for Hull KR where he stayed for just one season with 17 appearances under his name.
A one-year hiatus in the NRL with the Wests Tigers was followed by another year stay in Super League – this time with the Salford Red Devils.
Moves to the Leigh Centurions and Toronto Wolfpack then ended with Paterson finishing his career with the former in 2019.
The powerful Australian retired at just 32 years of age, but with his new careers booming, it certainly looks like the right decision.
