Why didn't Brandy play more tests?

[GreenMachine121]

What more miserable than Phil Gould?

Phil Gould’s girlfriend / boyfriend ?

 

[Zadar]

Brandy was a talented halfback, but when he came on the scene Steve Mortimer and Peter Sterling were already the established halfbacks for NSW and both had good runs with injury not effecting them much. Then you had Allan Langer and Ricky Stuart arrive on the scene to add extra competition. When Alexander started hitting peak form in 1990-91 finally leading the Panthers to a premiership, it all came crashing down in 1992 with the death of Ben Alexander.

Whilst people like Brad Fittler were just as effected, he was able to put his emotions aside and not let it effect his on field efforts. By comparison Greg Alexander and Mark Geyer went to pieces and their form slid drastically. Geyer took it so badly he went completely off the rails. Brandy, whilst he didn't go off the rails like Geyer, was so badly effected it showed on the field that he never again reached those heights of form of 1990-91. As such it was no surprise that Langer and Stuart were preferred as the Australian Test halfback over him.

reading brandy’s and Freddie’s books, they both mention how they lived from each other’s pockets, and in and out of each other’s houses, they were all affected, Geyer married Alexander’s sister I’m pretty sure too, a lot of best mates are closer than brothers, for different reasons.

I was a pretty big panthers fan at that time, because the chooks were never in it, and I despised the raiders, thought that the panthers were going to have a bit of a dynasty, and then it all changed.

 

[unforgiven]

reading brandy’s and Freddie’s books, they both mention how they lived from each other’s pockets, and in and out of each other’s houses, they were all affected, Geyer married Alexander’s sister I’m pretty sure too, a lot of best mates are closer than brothers, for different reasons.

I was a pretty big panthers fan at that time, because the chooks were never in it, and I despised the raiders, thought that the panthers were going to have a bit of a dynasty, and then it all changed.

Geyer was pretty much living at the Alexander's

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Gee that was 28 years ago yesterday. I was pretty young back then but I remember the headlines the next day after they defeated Easts. It was such a sad period for the game of Rugby League. It really effected the Alexander family, his close friends and team-mates. It also affected the whole community out west.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

Don’t mind him as a commentator. There are far worse than him around.

 

[betcats]

What is wrong with you to react to a post like that? Geyer is obviously close to the entire Alexander family and has spoken about how close he and Ben were many times, he is married to his sister. Get off your high horse.

What’s Geyer got to do with this thread? Or Fitler? He just mentions that so he can talk Fitler up. He has a go at me for comparing the loss between them after he did exactly that just to give a little nod to filter.

Brandy lost his shit totally at the scene of that crash, like he went completely apeshit and had to be restrained, he never really recovered. Add in all the great halves he was competing with during that era and there is answer to this thread, no filter mention necessary.

No doubt Geyer was affected heavily affected by it but he was always a mad f**ker, always.

 

[betcats]

Fittler was also one of Ben Alexander's close mates. I mentioned him as even though it effected him drastically he still managed to perform on the field during those trying times. You speak like someone who has NFI about losing a family member. I lost my sister when I was 14 and she was 20. Her fiancee could barely even speak her name when he was around any of my family it effected him that bad fro years after the event, but by your logic, it shouldn't have effected him as greatly as he wasn't family.

So why don't follow your own advice and f'off you f'n moron!

I didn’t ask for your life story.

 

[Todd Hoffman]

What more miserable than Phil Gould?

Rothfield when he has run out of beer.

 

[Todd Hoffman]

Brandy was a talented halfback, but when he came on the scene Steve Mortimer and Peter Sterling were already the established halfbacks for NSW and both had good runs with injury not effecting them much. Then you had Allan Langer and Ricky Stuart arrive on the scene to add extra competition. When Alexander started hitting peak form in 1990-91 finally leading the Panthers to a premiership, it all came crashing down in 1992 with the death of Ben Alexander.

Whilst people like Brad Fittler were just as effected, he was able to put his emotions aside and not let it effect his on field efforts. By comparison Greg Alexander and Mark Geyer went to pieces and their form slid drastically. Geyer took it so badly he went completely off the rails. Brandy, whilst he didn't go off the rails like Geyer, was so badly effected it showed on the field that he never again reached those heights of form of 1990-91. As such it was no surprise that Langer and Stuart were preferred as the Australian Test halfback over him.

Pretty much this.
A lot of competition and there were two Brandys.
The one who debut in 84 up until 1992 and shadow version after 1992. He was outstanding prior to 92. I think he was 84 rookie of the year and then the following year he won the Dally M. Not bad for the 1st two years of your career.
He had a few magic moments after 92 but he was never the same again. A real shame.

 

[TheRam]

In an era of any number of wonderful halves, he was easily the most talented of the lot.

This is not a bagging thread, just something I always wondered. Sterling was among the best at game management, Turvey had the speed and matured into an excellent game manager, Alf specialised in high tempo pressure, Stuart introduced long passes and kicking game, Hasler was an 80 minute specialist, Toovey so tough and competitive. There's probably others.

My first thought is he was so good individually, perhaps his try-assists and LBAs weren't up with the others. No idea of the truth or otherwise of that but I'd welcome others' thoughts.

Simple...Sterlo and the rest were better.

 

[pantherz9103]

Brandy suffered from a combination of untimely injuries and obviously the club and nobody more than him was rocked by Ben Alexander's death in June of 1992. I think he was incredible in 1991 when we won the comp but even in that year he missed a number of games through injury and he was behind Ricky Stuart as the NSW halfback, instead playing fullback and Alfie Langer was Australian halfback that year after the Maroons won the origin series.

So Greg's versatility and injuries worked against him a bit. Then his mind just wasn't fully on footy after Ben died. He played pretty well for Auckland in 1995-6 before returning to Penrith in the Super League year of 1997. His early season form was great and he was man of the match in a Tri-Series game for NSW against QLD before injuring himself and spending the rest of the year on the sidelines. In fact in his last 3 seasons for Penrith (1997-99) he missed more than half of Penrith's games due to a variety of injuries and he retired at the end of '99.

Having said that I still consider him Penrith's most influential player in history and the reason why we finally made the finals in 1985 after so many years of being just 'Chocolate Soldiers'. He was good enough to play more rep footy than just 6 tests and a few origins but circumstances weren't favourable.

 

[pantherz9103]

Brandy actually is the player who played the most origins without winning

6 games for 6 losses

But he was Man of the Match in NSW's 38-10 Tri Series victory over Queensland in Super League in 1997!

 

[Hutty1986]

Because he's an old flog

 

[GongPanther]

Parra went after him as well as the Dogs. To me it was the fact that besides the injuries, it was Penrith's overall form before we made a GF that contributed towards the ignorance of Brandy's rep career.

He was good enough, but putting Brandy as half back permanently in any rep side did have a lot to do with the club/player politics.

 

[KennySterling]

Brandy actually is the player who played the most origins without winning

6 games for 6 losses

His own unique place in history. Brilliant stat.

On the subject of wretched Fox commentators who is any good ? Serious question as I'm underwhelmed in the extreme having been subjected to them regularly during lockdown.

 

[King hit]

All thanks to the superior Tim Brasher at fullback while Mullins caught a cold out on the wing.

The great Tim Brasher. He is so underrated when it comes to talking about the NSW greats. Some of the things he did for the Blues was just unbelievable.

Great player but behind the other great halfbacks of his time. Like why Terry Lamb didn't play as much rep footy when the likes of Kenny, Daley, Freddy and Cliffy were around.

I used to find it crazy that Lamb only played a handful of representative matches with most being a reserve. His Bulldogs career is just stuffed with all kinds of awards. Probably the greatest support player off all time. Then I noticed he was in the era of Lewis and Kenny.

 

[T-Boon]

In my opinion Mick Neil was the most under rated half of that era. Alexander was a bit over rated.

 

[Pork Hunt]

Hearing those two cockheads death-riding them all day makes it for me. It’s f**ken great seeing their hope of a Rooters win drain away. It’s the best.

I was at the game and when I sobered up, collected all my winnings and got myself home and settled in to watch the replay I couldn’t stop laughing at Brandy and that other f**kwit. It made it sweeter.

You had the most important bloke on your side though, the ref.
If that game wasn't a fix I'm not sure what is TBH. Brett Morris passing the ball back in play despite being a good 30-50cm into touch, that was dodgy as all get up.
Hate the Roosters with a passion but they weren't gonna be winning that game from before the opening whistle.

 

[Captain Apollo]

The great Tim Brasher. He is so underrated when it comes to talking about the NSW greats. Some of the things he did for the Blues was just unbelievable.

I used to find it crazy that Lamb only played a handful of representative matches with most being a reserve. His Bulldogs career is just stuffed with all kinds of awards. Probably the greatest support player off all time. Then I noticed he was in the era of Lewis and Kenny.

Also Terry Lamb got very homesick on the one Kangaroo Tour he went on, so IIRC, he opted out of playing rep football when he could.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

f**k brandy