Dave Brown

The deeds of Dave Brown, ‘the Bradman of League’ have stood the test of time. A product of Christian Brothers Waverley, Brown joined Easts as a 16-year-old schoolboy in 1930 and played first grade later that year. A dashing centre, Brown's loss of hair through illness in the summer of 1931-32 resulted in his wearing trademark headgear. He made his debut for NSW in 1931and was named State captain the following year at age 19! Selected to tour with the 1933-34 Kangaroos, he played in 32 matches (equal highest with the great Newcastle lock Wally Prigg) and scored a tour record 285 pts (19t, 114g), which may never be bettered. Brown was not a recognised goal-kicker before the tour but returned to Australia to post records that stood for decades. Brown played in three Tests against England in 1933-34 before becoming Australia’s youngest Test captain (22 years, 177 days) on the 1935 tour of NZ. That season proved to be a remarkable year for the champion centre. Brown scored 244 pts with Easts - a record that was not broken until Eric Simms in 1969 – and 385 pts in all matches. Brown's tally included 38 tries for the season and 45pts in one match (5t, 15g against C’bury) both of which remain records to this day! The following year, Brown became the youngest Test captain in an Anglo-Australian Test series (bettered by Reg Gasnier in1962). Brown also captained the champion Easts club to premiership titles in 1935-36 before being signed by English club Warrington at the end of 1936 on a lucrative contract. Brown cut short his four years in England to return to Easts at the end of 1939 and captain-coached the club to win the 1940 premiership. The following year, at age 28, he announced his retirement after the club's loss to St George in the 1941 grand final. Brown was the NSWRL’s School Liaison Officer in 1959 and was 'unofficial' coach of the South African team that played two Tests in Australia in 1963. He continued to work tirelessly for the code before his death from cancer in 1974. An interesting note: prior to the Clive Churchill Medal being struck in 1986, players in the grand final used to vie for the 'Dave Brown’ Medallion'.