Dave Brown /

Year inducted: 2023

True Blue number: 16

Born: 4 April, 1913, Kogarah, NSW

Club/s: Eastern Suburbs

Position: Centre

Premiership career: (1930-41) 94 games, 93 tries, 194 goals, 667 points

First Grade debut: Eastern Suburbs v St George at Earl Park, Arncliffe on 9 August, 1930

Representative honours: (1933-36) Australia 9 Tests; (1930-36) NSW 19 interstate matches

Other honours: Rugby League Immortal 2018, NSW Team of the Century 2008

Dave Brown overcame a series of horrific injuries and mishaps including losing the top of his thumb as a toddler, and badly breaking his arm and dislocating his elbow in the schoolyard, to become one of the most prolific point scorers in Rugby League history. He was regarded as the ‘Bradman of League’ after winning two premierships with Eastern Suburbs and setting a number of records for tries and points. He scored 45 points from 5 tries and 15 goals (when tries were worth three points) against Canterbury in 1935 in a record that stands to this day. He also holds the record for most tries in a season with 38 which he also set in 1935.

The powerfully built centre joined Eastern Suburbs straight out of school and was promoted to the top grade after just a handful of lower grade games. He was selected to play his first game for NSW at the age of 18 and would go on to represent his state 19 times. He was named captain of Easts at age 19 and went on the 1933-34 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain where he played 32 matches, including all three Tests, and scored 285 points which at the time was the greatest number ever attained by a player on tour.

He led Easts to consecutive premierships in 1935-36 and continued to set records. He scored 244 points with Easts in 1935 – which wasn’t broken until Eric Simms in 1969 – and also holds the record for the second most points by a player in a match (38 points also against Canterbury in 1935). He signed a lucrative contract with English club Warrington at the end of 1936 before returning to Sydney in 1939. He captained-coached Easts to another premiership in 1940 before retiring at age 28 after the Grand Final loss to St George in 1941.