I've been searching everywhere for the Brandy back-flip!!!!! Long before Inglis, Mitchell and other show-ponies were doing their trademark brands, Alexander's back-flip in France was the Coota, the G.O.A.T., the flair that the 'Roos needed to show they were something way above brilliant!!!!
I was at that game when they played North Sydney Bears St Penrith the scores were 0-0 Heading to full time. The Panthers got a penalty right in front of the sticks and Brandy kicked to goal to put them up 2-0. And then Brandy scored that try and kicked the goal and Panthers win 8-0. What a game. I am 48 years old and that game still brings the emotion of the game. Got to love Brandy and the Panthers.
If Alexander was a Easts, Saints, Parra or Souths player he would have been recognised much much more, because he was from the west, no so much. In my eyes he is one of the greatest league players ever
He played like Lockyer a dozen years before Darren teared up for the Broncos. Greg should have been a 6 in my opinion, a bit wider and his pace would have been unbeatable
have followed Rugby League for 30 years and am a Roosters supporter but Brandy has always been one of my favourite ever players. Watching him run is like watching a machinbe glide across the turf. He did things on the filed that no one else could do. Legend.
Watching these videos one wonders why Brandy is mot always ranked up there with Mortimer, Sterling, Langer, Stewart, Johns, Thurston, when great halfbacks are ranked.
It's because he was a Penrith player. There's sydney siders who don't know where penrith is so there's that bias. Another factor was his brother's death and injuries. In my opinion the injuries never let him focus on football, at a time he needed to, after his brother's death. He left for auckland after 92 and never had the passion while over in NZ. He was never the same player again, barring a few flashes, when he came back to penrith. The ones lucky enough, to watch him in his prime, know that he was magic.
He was on his way to being that I think. Brandy was surely one of the best players in the world in '90 and '91 and captained us to our first GF win but he was still behind great players like Stuart and Langer in the pecking order of Number 7's according to rep selectors. As a young Panther fan I thought he was just as good as them at that time. However in '92 Ben's death broke him for a while and he understandably lost his focus for footy after such a tragedy. He showed flashes of class for Auckland in 95-96 and then was really good for about 6 or 7 rounds for Penrith in Super League '97 and in 1 tri-series game he played for NSW he carved up QLD. Then he suffered a season ending injury. He still had the talent and footy brain but his body let him down in the latter years.
I have been recently thinking Alexander would have won the “Adidas Golden Boot” for the best player in the world in 1990/1991 had that award not been discontinued. He played superbly at all levels in 1990 and on the Roo tour, in a manner no one else really rivalled. He certainly had a great deal of skill and seemed to attract commentators’ attention like no other player. Injuries hit him almost continuously after 1991, or he might now be better remembered than he is.
Only lived in Australia for 1 year in 1990 and he was my hero when I was 12. I was at most of those games in that film from that year. So many memories. Panther Power!!!!
