For Phil Gould, Paul Langmack was never simply a former player or someone he had coached. He was a friend whose familiar phone calls had become part of everyday life.

Almost every day, there would be another conversation about rugby league, another message, another story to share. It was a friendship that had survived decades, three premiership campaigns and countless changes in their lives.

But on November 5, 2026, Gould was left facing a silence he had never expected.

Following Langmack’s sudden passing at just 61, the Canterbury Bulldogs football boss delivered an emotional tribute, revealing that he would miss those regular conversations more than words could express.

And in another heartbreaking detail, 7NEWS reported that Paul had still been messaging former teammates and friends just hours before his passing.

For those who knew him, the news was almost impossible to comprehend.

THE FRIENDSHIP THAT BEGAN BEFORE THE PREMIERSHIPS

Gould’s connection with Langmack stretches back to the early 1980s, long before the three famous Bulldogs premierships that would become such an important part of their shared history.

In an emotional interview with 7NEWS, Gould explained that he first met Paul when he was still playing schoolboy football.

“I first met Paul when he was playing schoolboy football and I was invited to coach one of his teams,” he recalled.

Their relationship soon developed beyond the coach-and-player connection.

In the early to mid-1980s, the two became teammates at Canterbury. Gould even joked that Paul eventually took his position in the team.

“He was a much better player than me,” Gould admitted.

It was an affectionate reflection on a young footballer whose talent and personality would eventually make him one of the most recognisable figures of the Bulldogs’ golden era.

But their story was only beginning.

THREE PREMIERSHIPS — AND A BOND THAT GREW STRONGER

Langmack became a central figure in Canterbury’s celebrated era, helping the club win premierships in 1984, 1985 and 1988.

The third victory was particularly significant for his relationship with Gould, who was coaching the Bulldogs when they defeated Balmain in the 1988 grand final.

Gould remembered Paul as a huge part of that premiership success.

Their professional relationship continued years later when Gould coached him again at the Sydney Roosters towards the end of Paul’s playing career in 1999.

But after their respective playing and coaching chapters were over, something even more lasting remained.

“Since that time he’s become a great mate, as he has been to so many people he associated with in rugby league over the years,” Gould said.

It was a friendship built on far more than football. They had shared the highs of premiership victories, the demands of professional sport and the everyday conversations that kept people connected long after the final whistle.

“I’M GOING TO MISS THOSE CALLS AND MESSAGES”

Perhaps the most personal part of Gould’s tribute was his recollection of just how regularly Paul stayed in touch.

“Paul would contact me every day of the week about something to do with rugby league. I’m going to miss those calls and messages.”

It is a simple statement, but one that captures the depth of their friendship.

For years, Paul’s calls had been a familiar part of Gould’s routine. There was always something to discuss, someone to remember or another rugby league story waiting to be shared.

Now, those ordinary conversations have become memories.

Gould also described Paul as a larger-than-life character who was energetic, bubbly and enthusiastic.

He loved the game, remained loyal to his former teammates and coaches, and never lost his desire to be involved in the sport.

For someone who had spent so much of his life surrounded by rugby league people, staying connected was clearly about more than simply following results.

It was about the friendships he had built along the way.

THE FINAL MESSAGES THAT MAKE HIS SUDDEN PASSING EVEN HARDER TO ACCEPT

As tributes continued to emerge, another detail added to the sense of disbelief.

According to 7NEWS, former rugby league player and broadcaster Mark Levy revealed that Paul had been messaging former teammates and friends on Thursday morning, just hours before his sudden passing.

Levy described the news as devastating and recalled that he had spoken to Paul on the preceding Saturday.

“It’s just terrible. I was only talking to him on Saturday. Such a popular man in rugby league,” he said.

His comments were a reminder of how unexpectedly the news arrived for people who had recently been in contact with Paul.

The exact contents of those final messages have not been made public, and there has been no indication that Paul knew anything was about to happen.

But the fact that he was still reaching out to friends and former teammates so shortly beforehand has made his passing even more difficult for the rugby league community to process.

They were ordinary messages in what appeared to be an ordinary morning — the kind of communication that friends rarely imagine could one day become their last.

A SISTER’S PHONE CALL THAT BROUGHT THE NEWS TO GOULD

There was another deeply personal connection in the way Gould first learned of Paul’s passing.

It was Diane, Paul’s sister, who contacted him early that morning with the terrible news.

Diane had been Gould’s personal assistant for the past 15 years, meaning the tragedy had touched someone who was also a close and trusted part of his own working life.

Gould spoke openly about how devastated he was for her.

“I’m particularly devastated for his sister Diane, who has been my personal assistant for the past 15 years,” he said.

He later added:

“Diane called me early this morning with the terrible news. I love Diane so much and I’m devastated for her loss.”

For Gould, the grief was therefore personal in more than one way. He had lost a great friend, while someone close to him was also facing the loss of her brother.

His words offered a glimpse into the circle of relationships surrounding Paul — people whose lives had become intertwined through years of football, friendship and family connections.

THE MOLE’S FINAL CONVERSATION — ANOTHER FRIEND LEFT IN DISBELIEF

Gould was not the only person reflecting on the conversations he would never have again.

The journalist known as The Mole, who had known Paul for more than four decades, also wrote a deeply personal tribute following his passing.

He first met Langmack in 1982, when Paul was captain of the Australian Schoolboys team and he was beginning his career covering rugby league.

The two formed an immediate friendship.

The Mole remembered Paul’s quick humour, upbeat personality and ability to turn an ordinary interview into something memorable.

He recalled being in the dressing rooms after Canterbury’s grand final victories in 1984, 1985 and 1988, when Paul would delight in spraying him with champagne — ensuring the journalist returned to work smelling of alcohol.

Their friendship continued long after Paul’s playing career ended.

The Mole said they still spoke regularly, with their final conversation taking place only a few weeks before Paul’s passing.

He also revealed that Paul had experienced difficult chapters over the years, but had seemed to be in a good place and doing well in recent months.

In his tribute, The Mole described Paul as the greatest character among the thousands of rugby league players he had known throughout his career.

His farewell was simple but deeply emotional:

“Farewell Langers. You were truly one of a kind.”

THE TEAMMATE WHO NEVER LEFT THE GAME BEHIND

Langmack’s contribution to rugby league extended far beyond the playing field.

He appeared in 314 first-grade matches across Canterbury, Western Suburbs and the Sydney Roosters, represented New South Wales in four State of Origin games and played 10 tour matches for Australia during the 1986 Kangaroo Tour.

After retiring at the end of the 1999 season, he continued coaching, including taking charge of South Sydney in 2003 and 2004.

He later dedicated himself to community and welfare work with the NSW Rugby League.

One of his most significant contributions was helping establish the Changing Rooms program in 2019, which has reached thousands of young people with messages about mental fitness, resilience, bullying and suicide prevention.

Gould specifically praised Paul’s work supporting mental health programs for young people, as well as current and former players.

“He was always thinking of other people,” he said.

That observation helps explain why tributes have extended well beyond the clubs where Paul played.

To some, he was a premiership-winning forward. To others, he was a former coach, a loyal teammate, a mentor or the person who always had time for another conversation.

“A TRUE BULLDOG” — THE WORDS THAT SAY IT ALL

As the rugby league community continues to remember Paul, Gould’s final words in his tribute have become a fitting summary of the man he knew.

“This is a significant loss to so many. A true Bulldog.”

It was more than a reference to the club he helped make successful during the 1980s.

It reflected the loyalty, enthusiasm and friendships that remained part of his life long after he stopped playing.

Paul Langmack spent decades making people laugh, building relationships and finding ways to remain connected to the game he loved.

His final messages may have been ordinary conversations between mates, but their significance has now become extraordinary for those left behind.

And for Phil Gould, the loss is perhaps best captured by the simplest part of his tribute: the calls and messages that once came almost every day will never come again.