NRL 2020: Bradman Best makes Brookvale debut where Dad and grandfather once excelled
Manly first asked about making Bradman Best a Sea Eagle when he was 12, hoping to continue his family’s legacy at the club. Instead, one of the NRL’s brightest prospects will run out for the first time against the Sea Eagles in Round 8.
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Bradman Best is the Manly Sea Eagle who got away.
While he will run out in Newcastle colours against Manly on Sunday, here’s the proof Best’s bloodlines well and truly run through Brookvale Oval.
Fresh from a one-game COVID-enforced suspension, Best’s first top-grade appearance at the iconic rugby league ground will continue a proud footballing tradition dating back three generations.
And he, too, could have been calling Brookvale Oval home.
Manly identified Best as a 12-year-old before he eventually signed with Newcastle.
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“Mate, we had 16 clubs chasing him but Newcastle has been really good to him, right from the start,” his father, Roger Best, said.
“They’ve looked after him, no matter what he needed.”
Still just 18, Best has already been tipped for NRL greatness.
On Sunday he gets to put that potential on display against the Sea Eagles — the club where his dad and grandfather once played.
His father, Roger, was a former Queensland and Australian Schoolboy who played lower grades at Manly as a prop and second-rower between 1993 and 1995.
He sat on the bench for several first grade games and went on to play for the London Broncos in the UK Super League.
He played at a time when Manly were very much the Silvertails, with a forward pack that included Steve Menzies, Nik Kosef, Owen Cunningham, Daniel Gartner and Ian Roberts.
Bradman’s grandfather, Peter Byrne, played four first grade games for Manly over two stints between 1972 and 1976. He also turned out for Newtown in a match against the North Sydney Bears at the SCG.
Byrne, now living on the Gold Coast, played at Manly when champions Bob Fulton, Max Krilich, Terry Randall and Graham Eadie were lighting up Brookvale.
The Manly connections stretch further, Best’s uncle, Brent Byrne, also played lower grades for the Sea Eagles but three knee reconstructions hampered his career.
Despite his Manly connections, father Roger’s loyalties will be with his son, who went to the Knights from a Woy Woy junior.
“I’m very proud of Bradman,” said Roger, now aged 46.
“The young fella is going well, mate. He trains hard, plays hard and loves the game.
“He trains eight hours a day – that is what they do these days, He lives and breathes footy. Bradman doesn’t have to worry about a job – he’s got one. He has excelled.
“It’s a shame we can’t go down and watch him (due to crowd restrictions) but hopefully Newcastle can get a win.”
Asked to recall his Manly days, Best said: “I had a good times and met a lot of good people. There were a lot of good kids who came through.
“I was at Manly when Steve Menzies was there, Nik Kosef, young Solomon Haumono, Owen Cunningham was there, Ian Roberts, Daniel Gartner, mate, that was a side wasn’t it?”
Byrne reckons his grandson can be an NRL player for the next 10 years.
“I’m so looking forward to Bradman’s ride. It will be a joy for me to watch the potential blossom and I am pretty confident it will,” Byrne said. “He has got a good future. Bradman has had four operations in four years and I have been unfortunate to see them all happen.
“But the way he has responded and accepted them, and the way he has progressed, has been nothing short of fantastic. He is headed for the big time because he has put in so much work.
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“If you can judge it by dedication and attitude, he will be a first grader for a decade. Bradman is a very responsible and grounded lad and his mum (Tobi) and dad should take full credit for that.”
Then Manly secretary Ken Arthurson lured Byrne to Brookvale from Manly rugby union club but an early shoulder injury prompted the Sea Eagles to seek replacements and Byrne’s chances of a long-term first grade career had evaporated.
Byrne could play several positions, prompting former premiership-winning coach Harry Bath to nickname him The Dalmatian.
“Because I had spots everywhere – I could play halfback to fullback,” Byrne said. “I battled and chipped away but wasn’t good enough.”
Originally published as NRL 2020: Bradman Best makes Brookvale debut where Dad and grandfather once excelled