13 May 2017

Graham Lowe - A league of his own

From Saturday Morning, 9:06 am on 13 May 2017

Photo: Supplied

Graham Lowe rose to prominence as a rugby league coach. He was the only one in the world to have won championships in three different countries - New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain. Lowe turned around both Wigan and the Manly Sea Eagles and was the first non-Queenslander to coach the State of Origin side.

Lowe stood down from his job as the chief executive officer of the Manly Sea Eagles in 2011 because of health issues, but has since plunged back into sports management, with a takeover of the previously liquidated Bradford Bulls early this year.

He has struggled with life-threatening illness on a number of occasions and is now an advocate for men's health issues.

Lowe also contested the Albany ward of the Auckland Council for Auckland Future in 2016, ultimately missing out on one of the two positions.

His latest venture sees him partner with the Manukau Institute of Technology to inspire would-be school leavers to stay in education, through courses he has devised with the institution's School of Sport.