Ben Ikin reveals truth about real Paul Vautin after NRL legend's decision to quit TV career
The Queensland great has spilled the beans on what 'Fatty' is really like as a person.
Ben Ikin has revealed the real Paul Vautin that NRL fans don't often get to see, backing up comments from Phil Gould and Andrew Voss about how smart he is. And the Queensland legend has also spilled the beans in a hilarious recount of how 'Fatty' didn't have a clue who he was when he made his Origin debut.
Vautin called time on his TV and media career last weekend, retiring after 33 years. Tributes and accolades have been flowing in from around the NRL world in the days that have followed, and on Wednesday night it was Ikin's turn.
Ikin famously made his State of Origin debut for Queensland in 1995 when he was just 18, becoming the youngest player in Origin history. Vautin was a surprise choice for Maroons coach that year, but masterminded a shock 3-0 series triumph for Queensland with a team that was tipped to flop.
Ikin was a relative unknown in 1995, and had only played a handful of first-grade games before being picked for his Origin debut. And he was so obscure that Vautin didn't even know who he was. As the story goes, Vautin ran into Ikin in an elevator and thought the teenager was asking for an autograph.
"I said 'mate I'm in your team'," Ikin said on SEN radio on Wednesday. "And he said 'you'd better come on in then'. But it took him about three seconds to make me feel welcome. As only Fat could do he was very self-effacing, took the piss and then we were away.
"It wasn't long after he didn't even know one of his own players that he stood in front of the playing group and explained to us what Origin meant to him, what Origin meant to Queensland, and how much he believed in the group. As well as how we were going to get it done."
Ben Ikin lifts the lid on the real Paul Vautin
Fatty will be remembered as the larrikin and jokester who added comic relief, with some of his finest work coming on the Footy Show on Thursday nights. But both Gould and Voss have highlighted that Vautin's genius lay in the fact he was actually really smart and played a character that the rugby league audience loved and adored.
And Ikin backed that up on Wednesday night. "I'm really glad Gus (Gould) made those comments because he's one of the biggest brains in our game, talking about Fatty's intelligence. To do what he did for so long and the way he did it, you need a big brain yourself to play the 'fool'.
"But the guy I got to know over the past 30 years in private is very well read, and has some deep profound insights into the game. And despite the fact we see more of 'Fatty' than we do of Paul, the friend that I have come to know has provided great counsel to me. If I am troubled by something or need a solution to a problem, Fatty is one of the people I would call."
Speaking earlier on Wednesday, Vautin said he has no plans to do any other work in the media and will happily retire to life at home. The Manly and Queensland legend admitted the game had changed in recent years to a point where he no longer got as much enjoyment out of working on it, and realised he'd rather be watching on TV.
