Greg Alexander was one of those highly talented players who did not go on to fulfil his full potential. In the 80s, there were a few other highly skilled halfs like Brandy in the game. Phil Blake was one who comes to mind. Phil Blake in 1983 was devastating. He ended up on the wing for Manly(when Des Hasler from Penrith joined Manly), though he did rediscover most of his brilliance behind a monster Souths pack in the second half of the 80s. For a while a Penrith, Brandy played fullback. Laurie Spina was another but he started with a bang and fizzled out. Wayne Bennett wanted to pick Laurie ahead of Allan Langer for QLD. Steve Morris was lightning fast as well and rediscovered himself on the wing.
In the 80s, the two top halfbacks were Sterling and Mortimer. Sterling was more of an organising halfback and played behind a small pack of forwards. Sterling was a grinding halfback that organised his forwards and didnt mind tackling. Mortimer was a flashy halfback who liked to chip and chase and play out of the defensive line and also was an excellent cover defender. Mortimer became a tougher player towards the end of his career. In 1984, Mortimer became a tough bugger.
Dont get me wrong about Brandy, I think he achieved a lot, but could not get ahead of Sterling, Mortimer, Mark Murray, Allan Langer and then Ricky Stuart for Australian selection. I dont think he was as mentally tough as Mortimer and Sterling, though that is nothing to be ashamed of. The game I thought Brandy would have stamped his own mark would have been State of Origin II in 1989. He had a good first half, QLD suffered a lot of injuries with Langer carted off with broken leg, but Lewis will be forever remembered as one of his finest games. Under 5m organised defence in the 80s, holes and opportunities were hard to come by. Players like Brake and Brandy would be devastating in the No.9 jersey in todays game with their devastating running and kicking skills,