Gregory Peter Stephen Alexander (born 4 March 1965), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "Brandy" is an Australian former professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, who has since become a radio, television commentator and rugby league journalist. Originally a goal-kicking half-back, in his career he played for and captained the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrit ...

and the

Auckland Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

clubs and also represented his country and state on several occasions. Alexander's position for the majority of his career was at half-back, however early in his career – particularly in representative sides – he was moved to . It was this ability to play different positions with great success that saw Alexander make both the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

and the

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

Kangaroo Tour Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France, tours to New Zealand and the one-off tour to Papua New Guinea (1991). The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours t ...

s. Alexander played a test on the 1990 Tour against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on the , scoring a try and capping it off with a memorable gymnastics style backflip in celebration. This was also his last test appearance.

Junior career

Alexander began his career at a schoolboy level where he quickly established himself as a star player for his side. He attended

Patrician Brothers' College, Fairfield , motto_translation = Mary Leads Us , location = Fairfield, south-western Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia Sydney , pushpin_image = , pushpin_mapsize ...

he played for the

Australian Schoolboys rugby league team The Australian Schoolboys rugby league team is the national rugby league football team for secondary school students in Australia. The team competes against counterparts in New Zealand, known as the Junior Kiwis, England, Wales and France amo ...

in 1983. He was later signed on as a junior to his local club side the

Professional career

Penrith Panthers

Alexander made his first-grade debut for the Panthers in the 1984 season as a half-back. His talent quickly became clear and by the end of the season he took out the Rookie of the Year award. The following year Greg continued his good form throughout the season tallying up 194 points (a club record at the time) and earning himself the 1985 Dally M. player of the year award. Greg continued playing with the Panthers for the next several years and become known for his unique ability to score and set up tries, his excellent attacking kicking and his solid defence. At the end of the 1986 NSWRL season, he went on the 1986 Kangaroo tour, gaining selection after

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

winger Eric Grothe was controversially ruled out with a knee injury. Alexander would go on to play in 10 matches on tour with the Kangaroos, scoring 10 tries and kicking 5 goals. Alexander and test hooker Royce Simmons became the first Panthers selected for a

. 1989 saw him rise to selection for New South Wales in the 1989 State of Origin series, being one of the few Blues players regarded as playing well in a series won 3-0 by

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, before being selected as the first choice halfback for Australia's mid-season tour of New Zealand. After making his test debut in the 26-6 first test win against

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

at the Queen Elizabeth II Park in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, and playing in the 8-0 second test win at

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encomp ...

, Alexander lost his place in the side with coach

Bob Fulton Robert Fulton (1 December 1947 – 23 May 2021), also nicknamed "Bozo", was an Australian international rugby league footballer, coach and later commentator. Fulton played, coached, selected for and has commentated on the game with great succe ...

preferring his 1987 premiership winning halfback from Manly-Warringah, Des Hasler, in the position for the third and final test. During the 1989 NSWRL season, his pace and skill had made Penrith the second most dangerous attacking team in the competition behind the eventual premiers, the

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

and Alexander was the Panthers leading try and point scorer and for much of the year led the league in try-scoring – scoring ten tries in eight games at one point, eventually finishing with 15 tries from 18 games for the season. Alexander would eventually finish second on the try-scoring list finishing behind Canberra fullback Gary Belcher who scored 17 tries. Alexander finished ahead of other noted try scorers including Andrew Ettingshausen ( Cronulla), Ricky Walford (

St George Saint George ( Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

) and

Phil Blake Phil Blake (born 24 November 1963) is a former rugby league footballer and a professional rugby union coach. Originally a , Blake developed into a utility player and played first grade matches in all the backline positions, as well as at and ...

( South Sydney). Penrith's form saw them reach the finals for the first time since his rookie year in 1984, reaching the knockout Minor Semi-Final before ending their season with a 27–18 loss to Canberra. With Alexander in great form at both halfback and fullback for the Panthers, the club made it to their first ever

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...

in 1990 against the defending premiers Canberra. The Panthers went down 18–14 to the Raiders and despite a solid performance, Alexander's goalkicking let him down on the day, only kicking one of his four attempts compared to Canberra captain Mal Meninga who landed all three of his attempts. Despite his good form, Alexander was only selected to the bench for game 3 of the

1990 State of Origin series The 1990 State of Origin series saw the ninth time that the annual three-game series between New South Wales and Queensland representative rugby league football teams was contested entirely under "state of origin" selection rules. It was the firs ...

and missed selection in Australia's mid-season tests against

and New Zealand. At the end of the season he was selected for his second

as the back up fullback to Canberra and Queensland custodian Gary Belcher and went on to be selected for every game on tour, although unlike

Terry Lamb Terence John Lamb (born 15 September 1961), also nicknamed "Baa", is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played 350 games, with the Western Suburbs (1980–1983) and Canterbury (1984–1996). Lamb was known for his su ...

who played in every game on the 1986 tour, Alexander, along with the Kangaroo's other replacements that day (

David Gillespie David "Cement" Gillespie (born 22 March 1964) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a and forward in the 1980s and 1990s. Gillespie played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Western Suburbs Magpies, ...

, Des Hasler and Mark Sargent), did not get off the bench in the 14–10 second test win against

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wembl ...

that kept

The Ashes The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, '' The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first ...

series alive. He also failed to get off the bench in the third game of the tour against

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington ...

. Alexander was the leading point scorer for the Kangaroos on tour, playing 17 games (4 tests but selected for all 5 tests), scoring 14 tries and kicking 50 goals for a total of 156 points. The closest a teammate got in points was team captain Mal Meninga who scored 64 points (8 tries, 16 goals) from his 11 games. He scored a record 46 points in the tour match against France B (5 tries, 13 goals) in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

and continued that form into the first test against France 3 days later in

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label= Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had ...

when after coming on to replace an ill Ricky Stuart at halfback early in the game he went on to score 3 tries and kick 7/8 goals in the Kangaroos 60–4 win giving him a personal haul of 28 points. In the 34–10 second test win a week later at the

Stade Gilbert Brutus Stade Gilbert Brutus is a rugby league stadium in Perpignan, France, which is the home ground of the Catalans Dragons. History In the 1970s and 1980s, the ground was used by both rugby league and rugby union clubs in Northern Catalonia. It was ...

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...

, a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupe ...

injury ruled out Laurie Daley. This saw

Dale Shearer Dale Shearer (born 25 July 1965), also known by the nickname of "Rowdy", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative ...

move from the wing to the centres and Brandy was selected on the wing where he kicked 3 goals to go along with his memorable try which resulted in his gymnastics style backflip celebration. He had performed the backflip several times at training while in England (claiming it was something he had learned in gymnastics while still in school) and had wanted to do it after scoring a try in a game, but with Australia, in a battle to retain The Ashes, he felt the circumstances were never right. However, as the second test against the French was also the final game of the Kangaroo tour, he allowed himself the luxury of the backflip in front of the TV cameras. Alexander captained the Panthers to their maiden premiership in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, the Panthers reversing the result of the 1990 Grand Final with a 19–12 win over Canberra. From halfback, Alexander took control of the game in the 2nd half with his kicking game which included a 38-metre field goal to give Penrith a 13–12 lead following a

Brad Izzard Brad Izzard (born 6 May 1962 in Blacktown, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for the Penrith Panthers in the New South Wales Rugby League competition in ...

try under the posts which were converted by Alexander. Later a majestic sideline conversion of Royce Simmons' 2nd try of the game sealed the win for the Panthers. The Phil Gould coached Panthers never fell below 4th on the ladder for the season (Round 2) and never lost the competition lead after regaining it following Round 14 of the 22 round season. From Round 14 the Panthers only loss of the season was a 14–12 away loss to Cronulla-Sutherland in Round 20. During the season he was selected at fullback for NSW in Games I and III of the

1991 State of Origin series The 1991 State of Origin series saw the tenth time the annual three-match State of Origin series between the New South Wales and Queensland representative rugby league teams was played entirely under 'state of origin' selection rules. It was nota ...

, only missing Game II at the

Sydney Football Stadium The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier recta ...

through injury. Despite his good form for Penrith and NSW and the absence of Gary Belcher through injury, Alexander was overlooked for the first test of mid-season Trans-Tasman Test series against New Zealand in favour of boom

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

and Qld fullback Paul Hauff, while he also missed selection in the final two games when selectors chose Andrew Ettingshausen. With Origin halfbacks Ricky Stuart and Allan Langer also in good form (Langer played) and Des Hasler in the team as a utility reserve, Alexander was only considered a chance of playing fullback in the tests. Following the Panthers Grand Final win over Canberra, Alexander was selected for Australia's 5 game tour to Papua New Guinea but withdrew through injury. He recovered from injury in time to lead the Panthers to England in October for the

1991 World Club Challenge The 1991 World Club Challenge (marketed as the Foster's World Club Challenge due to sponsorship from the brewer) was contested by 1990–91 RFL Championship winners, Wigan and 1991 NSWRL season premiers, the Penrith Panthers. The match was pl ...

, which was lost to Wigan 21–4 at the

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 ...

Stadium. 1992 was a year of huge expectation for Alexander and the reigning premiers Penrith. Whilst the Panthers form was up and down at the beginning of the season, Alexander was named as captain and fullback of the City Origin side, ahead of incumbent NSW captain

Benny Elias Ben Elias (Arabic: بن الياس; born 15 November 1963 in Tripoli, Lebanon),is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played primarily as a for Balmain in the New South Wales Rugby League premie ...

. This led to Alexander being the favourite to take over the Blues captaincy for that year's

State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons. Referred to as “Australian sport's greatest rivalry”, the ...

against Queensland. However, a knee injury lead to Alexander being withdrawn from the match, and Country Origin captain Laurie Daley would go on to successfully captain the NSW side to a 2–1 series win, with Alexander missing all three games due to his knee injury. Selectors stuck with Stuart at half and Ettingshausen at the back.

Ben Alexander's death

On 21 June 1992, his younger brother and fellow Panthers teammate Ben Alexander was killed in a car accident. The tragic loss of the younger Alexander had an adverse effect on the close-knit Panthers club and the team's form dropped off in the second half of the year which saw them miss the finals. Greg Alexander missed the majority of fixtures that year, playing only 9 games for the season (including two from the bench) and following his brother's death would not return to the side until their Round 20 match against Manly-Warringah at

Brookvale Oval Brookvale Oval (also known by the commercial sponsorship name 4 Pines Park) is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is primarily used by th ...

in August. After his return, he continually fell below his usual playing weight of 84 kg and ended the season ten kilograms lighter than usual.

Auckland Warriors

At the end of the 1994 season after playing in just 13 games for the Panthers (mostly at fullback as the club had signed New Zealand test halfback Gary Freeman from Easts), Alexander, seeking a change and to just get away from Sydney following the death of his brother Ben in 1992, joined the

, one of four new teams introduced for the 1995 season. He spent most of the first half of his first season for the Warriors at halfback and began to recapture some of his previous form. In the latter half of the season he moved between fullback, halfback and five-eighth due to the depth the Warriors had in the halves - with

Gene Ngamu Gene Robert Ngamu (born 27 January 1974) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer. He played mainly as a or , and is probably best known for his combination with Stacey Jones at the Auckland Warriors and the Kiwis. Early years Ngamu s ...

, Stacey Jones,

and Frano Botica all spending some time at halfback or five-eighth. In his second season with the club, he was awarded the captaincy after

Dean Bell Dean Bell, also known by the nicknames of "Mean Dean", and "Deano", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, and coach. A New Zealand international representative centre, he played his club football in England, Australia ...

retired, and again began the season at halfback. However, after he was injured in Round 10, New Zealand halfback Stacey Jones regained the halfback role, and upon returning to the side Alexander was moved to the fullback position - where he would remain for most of the remaining season.

Return to the Panthers

Alexander eventually returned to Penrith in 1997 after his stint in New Zealand and stayed on until his retirement in 1999. His early-season form for the Panthers in the new

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of w ...

competition saw him selected at halfback for his first game for NSW since 1991 in the

Super League Tri-series The Super League Tri-series was an international rugby league football tournament contested in 1997 between Queensland, New South Wales, and New Zealand representative rugby league teams. It was run by the breakaway Super League organisation as an ...

. After starring in NSW's 38–10 win over Queensland in the first game of the series. In total, Alexander played 228 games for the Panthers, scored 100 tries, kicked 343 goals and 14 field goals, tallying 1,100 career points for the club. To date, he is one of only seven players ever score over 100 tries and over 1,000 points for a single club in top grade Australian rugby league. The others being

( Canterbury-Bankstown),

Ryan Girdler Ryan Girdler (born 19 September 1972) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australia international representative goal-kicking centre, he played h ...

(

), Hazem El Masri (

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilit ...

Darren Lockyer Darren James Lockyer (born 24 March 1977) is an Australian television commentator and former professional rugby league footballer. Lockyer was an Australian international and Queensland State representative captain, who played his entire profes ...

(

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite c ...

), Luke Burt (

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...

) and

Jarrod Croker Jarrod Keith Croker (born 11 September 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who is the captain and goal-kicking for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He has played his entire career to date with Canberra, with whom he b ...

(

Life after football

After his retirement from football in 1999, Alexander embarked on a media career in both radio and television. He currently works as a host for

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...

station. He also hosts the nightly

Sports Today ''Sports Today'' is a long-running radio show on Melbourne, Australia radio station 3AW. It currently airs on Monday to Thursday from 6 pm to 8 pm and is hosted by Gerard Healy and Sam McClure. Previously, it was hosted by David Hookes and Gerar ...

program with John Gibbs on Sydney radio station 2UE. On 24 October 2000, he was awarded the

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

for his rugby league achievements. On 25 June 2016, he was inducted into the Penrith Panthers hall of fame alongside Grahame Moran, Royce Simmons, and Craig Gower.

Personal life

Alexander is the brother-in-law of fellow former Penrith, NSW and Australian teammate

Mark Geyer Mark Bradley Geyer (born 7 December 1967) is an Australian radio host and former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative se ...

, and of former Penrith,

Western Reds The Western Reds were a rugby league football club based in Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1992 as the Western Reds, they entered into the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995 before defecting to the rival Super League competition i ...

and Newcastle second rower,

Peter Shiels Peter "Stretch" Shiels (born 4 September 1973 in Bankstown, New South Wales), is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Penrith, Western Suburbs, Western Reds, the Newcastle Knights ...

, both of whom married his sisters. He is also the brother-in-law of former St. George Illawarra Dragons hooker Cameron King, who is the younger brother of his wife Tanya.

References

External links

Fox Sports NRL team profiles

Penrith Panthers Board of Directors

State of Origin Official website Rugby League Player Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Greg 1965 births Living people Australia national rugby league team players Australian rugby league administrators Australian rugby league commentators Australian rugby league players New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players New Zealand Warriors captains New Zealand Warriors players Penrith Panthers players Penrith Panthers captains Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Penrith, New South Wales