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Wayne Beavis has died on the Gold Coast after a long battle with kidney problems, marking the end of one of rugby league's most influential off-field careers.
He passed away on Sunday night, with tributes quickly flowing from players, coaches and former clients who saw him as more than just an agent.
Beavis was the NRL's first full-time player manager and for decades shaped the game through his ability to land the biggest deals.
Beavis built his reputation handling some of the game's biggest names and deals. He orchestrated James Maloney's move to Cronulla, a signing that helped deliver the Sharks their first-ever premiership in 2016.
Earlier in his career, Beavis managed the high-profile move of Test prop Mark O'Meley to the Roosters and guided Brad Fittler through tense contract standoffs that shaped the back end of his legendary career.
He was also the man behind a host of other footy greats including Phil Gould, Steve Menzies, Ivan Cleary, Mark Geyer and Terry Hill.
Wayne Beavis (pictured), known as one of the great player agents in the NRL, lost his battle against kidney issues on Sunday
Former NRL star Beau Ryan was a close friend of Beavis' and travelled to the Gold Coast to see him on the weekend
Ryan broke down on Triple M Breakfast while talking about the death of his close friend
However, Beavis's crowning accomplishment as a player agent came in October 2014, when he masterminded Jarryd Hayne's audacious switch from the NRL to the NFL.
At just 26, Hayne walked away from the Parramatta Eels, two Dally M Medals, 176 first-grade games, 11 State of Origin appearances for New South Wales and 20 Tests for Australia, to chase an almost unthinkable dream in American football.
Beavis steered every step of the code-hop, managing interest from several NFL franchises before landing Hayne a spot with the San Francisco 49ers.
Against all odds, Hayne made the 49ers' final 53-man roster in 2015, rushing for 52 yards from 17 carries and returning punts in front of packed US stadiums, feats never before achieved by an Australian backline star.
The deal wasn't just a contract negotiation, it was a cultural shockwave. For Beavis, it was the move that defined his career, taking a rugby league superstar and turning him into a global sporting headline.
In NRL history, few departures have matched its significance, with Hayne's gamble proving that Australian athletes could aspire to the world's biggest stage.
It remains the single most memorable signing in Wayne Beavis' storied career, and a benchmark for what player management could achieve.
During his long tenure in the NRL, Beavis became a father figure to players like Fittler and Beau Ryan, who both travelled to the Gold Coast to visit him just hours before his passing.
Beavis was the architect of Jarryd Hayne's historic leap from the NRL to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL
Ryan could barely talk through his grief during his regular spot on Triple M Breakfast on Monday, saying that Beavis taught him the values of family and became a lifelong mentor.
'I'm glad we made it up there, he means so much to so many people,' he said.
'My phone hasn't stopped ringing this morning, I've been trying to answer it, but I can't man.
'I didn't want to say anything, I didn't want to do anything, I was trying to be professional and get on with it.
'But I didn't really sleep last night and I just thought I would come in here and be with you guys and I would be all right.
'But I'm not doing OK.'
Ryan, who has transitioned from a glittering footy career into a rising television personality, credited Beavis for everything he had achieved.
'I have to get back to my family, but I can't speak highly enough of him,' he said.
'He's with God now. He was like a father to us.
'He was the first football manager, the first rugby league manager.
'He is a man that will be sorely missed and a man that will never be replaced.
'I owe everything I've got to Wayne Beavis.'
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