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Brothers Rugby League Club
From the The Sun Book of Rugby League punblished 1983
There may never have been a Brothers Rugby League Club had there not been a dispute over lack of insurance cover of rugby union players in 1919.
Brothers, a top Rugby Union outfit which won the competition in 1918, decided to switch to Rugby League, joining Coorparoo, Bulimba, Valleys, Wests and West End in the League.
The great Duncan Thompson was captain of West End, but he did not frighten the converted top union players including Pat Murphy and Bluey Thompson.
Another switch was crack former AIF player Vince Mooney, but a serious knee injury proved a set back for him.
Brothers players remained amatuers and found it difficult at first adjusting to the new code. But in 1923 they won their first trophy, the Pike Cup. and the following season were runners-up to Valleys in the Premiership.
The 1924 season included an incredible match against Coorparoo at the Exhibition Ground. Coorparoo won, but Brothers protested on the grounds that the referee wrongly awarded a try.
They claimed five-eighth George Draney had taken the Coorparoo try scorer over the touchline, bowling over the corner flag in the process.
Brothers were granted a replay and, in fact, the rules were subsequently changed to give a touch judge the power to over rule a referee's decision on awarding a try.
The replay was also spiced with controversy and drama. Brothers has to be talked into playing under the referee and when they finally took the field it was only 10 minutes before the grandstand caught fire - and both teams raced off to save their gear.
In 1926 Brothers signed the great Tom Gorman from Toowoomba and paid him a 400 pound signing on fee. He became the club's first paid player and it was money well spent.
Gorman inspired the club to win its first premiership. He also became Brothers' first international and in 1928-29 was captain of the Kangaroos touring tea, in England.
Gorman is still the only Queenslander ever to captain a Kangaroos touring side.
Brothers did not win another premiership until 1935 when they won a thrilling grand final 17-15. It was 10-all at fulltime and an extra 10 minutes each way was ordered.
As the final bell sounded skipper Eric Hogan landed a penalty goal from the sideline to win the match for Brothers.
Brothers then went into the doldrums for three seasons before they lured crack NSW winger Len Dawson and a huge centre Dick Roser to the club.
It was mainly Dawson's brilliance which enabled Brothers to capture another premiership.
Brothers were trailing Valleys 19-9 well into the second half, but Dawson got them out of jail with three great tries in only 10 minutes and Brothers won 21-9.
In the grand final they beat Norths 11-9 and Dawson again was the star, along with a pack of forwards dubbed The Terrible Six by famous league writer Laurie Kearney.
The Terrible Six were Bill Law, Jack Little, Vince Hogan, Jack Ryrie, Larry Gillespie and Bill Dall.
Brothers twice won the premiership during World War II, but then came a long run of outs.
From Toowoomba after the war came tough forward Eddie Brosman, who toured with the 1948 Kangaroos.
And after the war one of Australia's all time greats Brian Davies worked his way through the club's ranks and into the Australian test side.
Davies didn't like football as a schoolboy, but as an apprentice plumber he played in the Commerical League.
He was spotted by a Brothers official and talked into playing reserve grade. But he didn't stay there long.
Davies played 27 tests and was captain coach of Australia in the 1958 Ashes series against England. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest players ever to wear a Brothers jersey.
With Bob Bax as coach and Davies as captain, Brothers picked up Brisbane premierships in 1956 and 1958.
But Bax clashed with officials in 1959 and walked out, joining Norths, whom he coached to six successive premierships.
Current club President Frank Melit was an outstanding winger in the 1950s, scoring a record 34 tries in 1956 and 132 overall in first grade.
Melit also coached Brothers before Brian Davies returned from Canterbury-Bankstown in Sydney to take over the job.
He won premierships in 1967 and 1968 with a side that contained such outstanding performers as internationals Peter Gallagher, Noel Cavanagh, Dennis Manteit and Johnnt Gleeson.
Prop Gallagher became only the second Brothers player after Gorman to captain Australia. Gallagher, Gleeson and Manteit toured with the 1967 Kangaroos.
Prop David Wright (1975) and centre Mark Thomas (1977) also played for Australia.
Brothers have gone 14 years without adding to their nine premierships and during that time have appeared in only one grand final, against Valleys in 1974.
From the The Sun Book of Rugby League punblished 1983
Year entered the premiership : 1922.
Colours : Blue and white.
Emblem : Leprechaun
Home ground : Corbett Park, Stafford.
TITLES
First grade: 1926, 1935, 1939, 1942, 1943, 1956, 1958, 1967, 1968.
Reserve grade : 1928, 1955, 1873, 1979.
Third grade : 1935, 1947, 1953.
Club championships : 1953, 1970.
President's Cup : 1927, 1935, 1949, 1954, 1966, 1968, 1976.
Woolies pre-season : 1974.
There may never have been a Brothers Rugby League Club had there not been a dispute over lack of insurance cover of rugby union players in 1919.
Brothers, a top Rugby Union outfit which won the competition in 1918, decided to switch to Rugby League, joining Coorparoo, Bulimba, Valleys, Wests and West End in the League.
The great Duncan Thompson was captain of West End, but he did not frighten the converted top union players including Pat Murphy and Bluey Thompson.
Another switch was crack former AIF player Vince Mooney, but a serious knee injury proved a set back for him.
Brothers players remained amatuers and found it difficult at first adjusting to the new code. But in 1923 they won their first trophy, the Pike Cup. and the following season were runners-up to Valleys in the Premiership.
The 1924 season included an incredible match against Coorparoo at the Exhibition Ground. Coorparoo won, but Brothers protested on the grounds that the referee wrongly awarded a try.
They claimed five-eighth George Draney had taken the Coorparoo try scorer over the touchline, bowling over the corner flag in the process.
Brothers were granted a replay and, in fact, the rules were subsequently changed to give a touch judge the power to over rule a referee's decision on awarding a try.
The replay was also spiced with controversy and drama. Brothers has to be talked into playing under the referee and when they finally took the field it was only 10 minutes before the grandstand caught fire - and both teams raced off to save their gear.
In 1926 Brothers signed the great Tom Gorman from Toowoomba and paid him a 400 pound signing on fee. He became the club's first paid player and it was money well spent.
Gorman inspired the club to win its first premiership. He also became Brothers' first international and in 1928-29 was captain of the Kangaroos touring tea, in England.
Gorman is still the only Queenslander ever to captain a Kangaroos touring side.
Brothers did not win another premiership until 1935 when they won a thrilling grand final 17-15. It was 10-all at fulltime and an extra 10 minutes each way was ordered.
As the final bell sounded skipper Eric Hogan landed a penalty goal from the sideline to win the match for Brothers.
Brothers then went into the doldrums for three seasons before they lured crack NSW winger Len Dawson and a huge centre Dick Roser to the club.
It was mainly Dawson's brilliance which enabled Brothers to capture another premiership.
Brothers were trailing Valleys 19-9 well into the second half, but Dawson got them out of jail with three great tries in only 10 minutes and Brothers won 21-9.
In the grand final they beat Norths 11-9 and Dawson again was the star, along with a pack of forwards dubbed The Terrible Six by famous league writer Laurie Kearney.
The Terrible Six were Bill Law, Jack Little, Vince Hogan, Jack Ryrie, Larry Gillespie and Bill Dall.
Brothers twice won the premiership during World War II, but then came a long run of outs.
From Toowoomba after the war came tough forward Eddie Brosman, who toured with the 1948 Kangaroos.
And after the war one of Australia's all time greats Brian Davies worked his way through the club's ranks and into the Australian test side.
Davies didn't like football as a schoolboy, but as an apprentice plumber he played in the Commerical League.
He was spotted by a Brothers official and talked into playing reserve grade. But he didn't stay there long.
Davies played 27 tests and was captain coach of Australia in the 1958 Ashes series against England. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest players ever to wear a Brothers jersey.
With Bob Bax as coach and Davies as captain, Brothers picked up Brisbane premierships in 1956 and 1958.
But Bax clashed with officials in 1959 and walked out, joining Norths, whom he coached to six successive premierships.
Current club President Frank Melit was an outstanding winger in the 1950s, scoring a record 34 tries in 1956 and 132 overall in first grade.
Melit also coached Brothers before Brian Davies returned from Canterbury-Bankstown in Sydney to take over the job.
He won premierships in 1967 and 1968 with a side that contained such outstanding performers as internationals Peter Gallagher, Noel Cavanagh, Dennis Manteit and Johnnt Gleeson.
Prop Gallagher became only the second Brothers player after Gorman to captain Australia. Gallagher, Gleeson and Manteit toured with the 1967 Kangaroos.
Prop David Wright (1975) and centre Mark Thomas (1977) also played for Australia.
Brothers have gone 14 years without adding to their nine premierships and during that time have appeared in only one grand final, against Valleys in 1974.
GREATEST MOMENTS
- In 1926, the great Tom Gorman became Brothers' first paid player. He inspired them to their first premiership the same year.
- Gorman was the club's first international, leading the 1928-29 Kangaroos to England and France.
- Brothers next great moment came in 1935 when they won a thrilling grand final 17-15 after twenty minutes of extra time was played.
- In 1939, Brothers trailed 19-9 halfway through the second half of the grand final against Valleys. They won the match 21-19, former NSW winger Len Dawson scoring three tries.
- In 1955 First grade coach Bob Bax led Brothers to their first reserve grade premiership since 1929 and had to leave the field ten minutes early to coach first grade. They were beaten 17-7 by Valleys.
- Brian Davies, a favourite Queensland Rugby League son, inspired Brothers to victory in 1956 over favourites, Wests.
- In 1958, Brothers had their biggest win in a final, beating Wests 37-5, and winning the grand final 22-7 over Valleys.
- Brothers won their last premiership in 1968, beating Easts 21-4.
PREMIERSHIP POSITIONS
1924 - Grand finalist
1925 - No record
1926 - Premiers
1927 - 5th
1928 - Semi Finalist
1929 - No record
1930 - No record
1931 - 8th
1932 - 6th
1933 - Semi Finalist
1934 - Finalist
1935 - Premiers
1936 - 5th
1937 - Finalist
1938 - 5th
1939 - Premiers
1940 - Grand Finalist
1941 - Semi-finalist
1942 - Premiers
1943 - Premiers
1944 - Semi-finalist
1945 - 5th
1946 - Finalist
1947 - 5th
1948 - Semi-finalist
1949 - Finalist
1950 - 5th
1951 - 5th
1952 - Grand finalist
1953 - 5th
1954 - Grand finalist
1955 - Grand finalist
1956 - Premiers
1957 - Grand finalist
1958 - Premiers
1959 - Grand finalist
1960 - 5th
1961 - 5th
1962 - 6th
1963 - 8th
1964 - Grand finalist
1965 - Finalist
1966 - Grand finalist
1967 - Premiers
1968 - Premiers
1969 - 5th
1970 - Finalist
1971 - 6th
1972 - Semi finalist
1973 - 5th
1974 - Grand finalist
1975 - 6th
1976 - Finalist
1977 - 5th
1978 - 7th
1979 - 7th
1980 - Semi-finalist
1981 - 8th
1982 - 6th