Paul Forber (born 29 April 1964) is an English former rugby league footballer who played as a second-row or prop in the 1980s and 1990s. He spent most of his career with St Helens, making almost 250 appearances in 11 seasons at the club. He also spent several seasons with Salford before finishing his career with Workington Town and Rochdale Hornets.
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| Born | 29 April 1964 St Helens, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Second-row, Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing career
editForber started his professional rugby league career with St Helens, signing for the club in May 1981. He made his first team debut a year later against Australia during the 1982 Kangaroo tour.[3] He established a regular place in the first team during the 1984–85 season, and played for the club in the 1985 Premiership final, appearing as a substitute in the 36–16 win against Hull Kingston Rovers.
The following season, he represented Lancashire in a "War of the Roses" match against Yorkshire. He was a non-playing substitute in the 1987 Challenge Cup final defeat against Halifax.
He played at second-row in the 1987–88 John Player Special Trophy victory over Leeds. He also played in the 1989 Challenge Cup final, but was again on the losing side, this time against Wigan.
Forber missed most of the 1990–91 season due to injury,[4] but returned the following season to help Saints win the 1991–92 Lancashire Cup against Rochdale Hornets.[5]
In January 1993, Forber was signed by Salford for a fee of £25,000.[6] He was released at the end of the 1998 season, and joined Workington Town.[7]
In 2023, Forber was inducted into the St Helens Hall of Fame.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Paul Forber - Playing Career". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Player Summary: Paul Forber". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Paul 'Buffer' Forber; A home-grown packman who ran the ball in hard". St Helens Star. 21 February 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Keeping Faith In Saint Paul". Liverpool Echo. 16 April 1991. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "St Helens beat Rochdale Hornets in 1991/92 Lancashire Cup Final". St Helens Star. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ Hadfield, Dave (12 January 1993). "Rugby League: Hornets sell off Hall to Wigan". The Independent. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Sporting Digest: Rugby league". The Independent. 22 January 1999. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Annual Past Players Dinner Hosted for 2023". Saints Foundation. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
External links
edit- Profile at Saints Heritage Society