Paul Hayward Biography: Wife, Age, Death, Net Worth, Height, Parents, Career, Prison, Boxing

Paul Cecil Hayward was an Australian professional rugby league footballer, known for his tenure as a halfback and five-eighth with the Newtown Jets in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) from 1973 to 1978.

A talented and gritty player, he was also a skilled boxer, selected to represent Australia at the 1976 Montreal Olympics before his professional status disqualified him.

Hayward played 73 first-grade games for the Jets, scoring 14 tries and kicking 43 goals, and represented a combined Sydney side that toured New Zealand in 1976.

Profile

• Full Name: Paul Cecil Hayward
• Stage Name: Paul Hayward
• Born: 11 January, 1954
• Died: 9 May 1992
• Age: 38 years old
• Birthplace: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• Nationality: Australian
• Occupation: Rugby League Footballer, Former Boxer
• Height: Unknown
• Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Hayward
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: Gail Hayward
• Children: Belinda Hayward
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: Unknown

Early Life and Education

Paul Cecil Hayward was born on January 11, 1954, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, to parents whose names are not publicly known. Information about his siblings is also unknown.

Growing up in Sydney, he played junior rugby league for the Waterloo Waratahs, a South Sydney club, showing early promise as a versatile athlete.

Details of his formal education are scarce, as his focus shifted to sports, particularly rugby league and boxing, where he excelled as the NSW amateur welterweight champion. His ethnicity was Australian, and his religious beliefs are not publicly known.

Career

Paul Hayward began his rugby league career with the Newtown Jets in 1973, debuting as a blonde-haired, pugnacious halfback in the NSWRL. Over six seasons, he played 73 first-grade matches, scoring 14 tries and kicking 43 goals, earning a reputation for his toughness and skill in the halves.

A South Sydney junior from the Waterloo Waratahs, he also represented a combined Sydney side that toured New Zealand in 1976.

Concurrently, Hayward was an accomplished boxer, selected for Australia’s 1976 Montreal Olympic team, but his professional rugby league status disqualified him from competing. His dual talents made him a standout figure in Sydney’s sporting scene.

Hayward’s career took a dramatic turn in 1978 when his sporting achievements were overshadowed by criminal activity. After the 1978 rugby league season, he traveled to Bangkok at the behest of his brother-in-law, notorious criminal Arthur “Neddy” Smith, to arrange a heroin shipment with Warren Fellows.

On October 11, 1978, Hayward and Fellows were arrested at the Montien Hotel with 8.4 kilograms of heroin, valued at $3 million on Sydney’s streets.

Sentenced to 30 years, Hayward served 11 years in Thailand’s notorious Lard Yao and Bang Kwang prisons, enduring brutal conditions. He was released on April 7, 1989, following a royal pardon during King Bhumibol’s 60th birthday celebrations.

After returning to Sydney in 1989, Hayward struggled to reintegrate, battling heroin addiction and HIV contracted in prison. His rugby league career never resumed, and his life ended tragically on May 9, 1992, when he died of a heroin overdose at his family home in Sydney, aged 38.

His story, detailed in a 1985 Rugby League Week article by Neil Cadigan, remains a poignant tale of wasted potential, with his grandson, Bailey Hayward, now carrying the family name forward as a rising NRL player with the Canterbury Bulldogs.

Despite his downfall, Hayward is remembered for his grit on the field and the human cost of his choices, as reflected in accounts from peers and family.

Social Media

Paul Hayward does not have social media accounts.

Personal Life

Paul Hayward was married to Gail Hayward, who raised their three children, including daughter Belinda, born after his 1978 arrest, during his 11-year imprisonment in Thailand.

The family faced significant hardship, with Gail managing alone while Hayward endured brutal conditions in Bang Kwang prison.

His connection to convicted criminal Neddy Smith, his brother-in-law, drew him into the underworld, leading to his 1978 arrest for drug trafficking. Unfortunately, Paul died on 9 May 1992, at the age of 38 years, in Canterbury, Australia.

Net Worth

Paul Hayward’s net worth at the time of his death in 1992 is not publicly known. His earnings from his rugby league career with the Newtown Jets and his brief professional boxing stint were modest, typical of the 1970s NSWRL era.

His involvement in a 1978 drug trafficking attempt, orchestrated by Neddy Smith, was reportedly motivated by financial struggles, but the venture led to his arrest and no financial gain.