RAY BROWN

Hooker/Backrower 1980-1986

From the Riverina. Ray brown was the Country Player of the Year in 1978. He was a clever ball-player, a consistent ball-winner and elusive in the open. Wests won the race for his services in 1979 but his representative career took off when he signed with Manly.

Brown was a non-playing reserve against Great Britain in the 1979 Ashes series in his first season in Sydney, before moving to Manly. He played 60 matches for Manly scoring 4 tries.

After playing lock and second-row at Manly, he was a replacement hooker in the club's 1982 grand final loss to Parramatta before touring with the 1982 Kangaroos. Brown played in the Test against Papua New Guinea and was a reserve in three Tests against Great Britain and France.

In 1983 he played in his only State of Origin match and was again a replacement in the Brisbane Test against NZ. He assumed the Manly hooker's role with the retirement of Max Krilich later in the season and gave the final pass for Phil Sigsworth to score Manly's only try in the grand final loss to P'matta. After a battle with injury, Brown left the club at the end of 1986 and was captain-coach of Central Coast premiers Woy Woy in 1987.

[W&H 2002, p. 63]