Coughlan was a Halswell Hornets junior and played in the
Canterbury Rugby League competition. He spent 1984 playing in the
Illawarra Rugby League for the Dapto Canaries, where he won their under-21 award. Coughlan spent both the 1989–90 and 1993-94 seasons with the
Dewsbury Rams in England. In 1995 Coughlan scored 182 points for the Cardinals, being the top point scorer in the
1994 Lion Red Cup. That year he represented both
Canterbury and a
Lion Red XIII that played
Tonga. Coughlan joined the
Auckland Warriors in 1997 and was part of their side that lost the
1997 Reserve Grade grand final. ==References==