David Royce Ayliffe (born 1 January 1956) is an Australian former professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative, he played for and captained the Eastern Suburbs club. Ayliffe also played for the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...

club. During the

1976 NSWRFL season The 1976 New South Wales Rugby League premiership, New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 69th season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six of 1908's foundat ...

, Brass played in the forwards, helping Eastern Suburbs to victory in their unofficial

1976 World Club Challenge The 1976 World Club Challenge was an unofficial trial of what would later become the World Club Challenge concept, with the 1975 NSWRFL season's premiers, Eastern Suburbs hosting the 1975–76 Northern Rugby Football League season's Premiershi ...

match against British champions St. Helens in Sydney. While attending Wollongong Keira High School, Ayliffe played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1972. He also gained selection for the

Australian Kangaroos The Australian national rugby league team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competitions since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League Comm ...

in 1981. Since retirement he has served on the

NRL Judiciary The NRL Judiciary is the disciplinary judiciary of the National Rugby League (NRL), a rugby league competition. The Judiciary regulates the on-field conduct of players from NRL clubs. Due to changes announced on the eve of the 2022 NRL season, th ...

. On 24 October 2000, Ayliffe 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, off ...

for rugby league achievements.

References

1956 births Living people Australian rugby league players Sydney Roosters players Sydney Roosters captains South Sydney Rabbitohs players New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players Australia national rugby league team players Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Rugby league players from Wollongong Rugby league props 20th-century Australian sportsmen {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1950s-stub