A cold beer with . . . Bronco who marked Gene Miles

Ipswich-born footballer relives challenges of playing with and against giants of the game

The 1988 Brisbane Broncos rugby league team that included Rohan Teevan (back row, second from right).

By Michael Nunn

IN 1987, a young Rohan Teevan came down from Toowoomba to Redcliffe for the Dolphins. The Dolphins could not get the win in the grand final but Teevan leapt from red and white to maroon and yellow and the new Brisbane Broncos in an exciting time to be playing football in Brisbane.

How did you end up at the Dolphins?

I played all my junior football and senior football in Toowoomba then made the Queensland under 18 side and Darryl Van de Velde. Wayne Bennett coached the side and I got an offer to join the Dolphins.

I had a great year at the Dolphins in 1987. I lived with a family at Clontarf and came into a side with Bryan Niebling and Greg Conescu. We lost the grand final to Brothers but it was a great season. I broke into the side in the Woolies pre-season and then my form dipped a bit and I was back in first grade for the finals. We had a good win over Wynnum and Norths and then into the big one.

Grand final and Brothers won 26-8 playing in a grand final at Lang Park is a highlight.

The result was not what I wanted but to play my first year in Brisbane and play in a grand final in front of 25,000 people was special.

Your biggest challenge coming from Toowoomba to Brisbane?

Biggest in more than one way was when I played Wynnum and I was playing in the centres marking Gene Miles. I think I was about 80kg that year in 1987 and Gene Miles was probably 30kg heavier than I was. It was daunting but once you tackle them once you think that was not too bad. Then you realise you have to do it another 20 times.

Then the Broncos that has to be an exciting time - 16 games in 1988 and your debut against Wests and a try in a 38-4 win?

The debut and it is only the Broncos third game. I played the first two weeks in Reserve Grade and then got the call up for the Broncos first away game against Wests at Campbelltown. The players in that side were star-studded. It was pretty exciting, I was in the centres with Chris Johns.

The 1990 grand final against the Raiders and a 14-6 win has to be a highlight?

It was to play in the Broncos first grand final and to play with your brother and with some players that over the next five years would prove pivotal to Broncos success. Steve Renouf was great in the grand final and had a try disallowed. Alan Cann badly injured his hamstring and John Plath would go on and play many games in first grade too. My family all came down to Sydney to watch and my wife was there. It was terrific.

How did you go against the Jets?

I was born in Ipswich. I am the only Teevan that was. It did not help me against the Jets. They were tough games at the North Ipswich Reserve. I only played that one year in 1987 against the Jets but being from Toowoomba I played against Ipswich a lot and against Kevin and Kerrod Walters. It never got easy at Ipswich.

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