By Tom Decent
Brandon Alexander is a name you probably won’t recognise, but the 24-year-old is a valued member of what is now the 11th best sporting team in Australasia.
The Sydneysider says he spends 30 to 40 hours a week training for matches on the weekend.
He doesn’t touch energy drinks – instead preferring an English breakfast tea before work – and has recently competed in Iceland and South Korea.
Alexander plays for the Chiefs – not the New Zealand Super Rugby franchise but an esports club that competes in the online battle-arena strategy game League of Legends.
According to the latest annual rankings released by Gain Line Analytics, Alexander’s Chiefs Esports Club sits above the Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Lions and Melbourne Storm as one of Australasia’s best teams.
Alexander, who spends most of his season inside a “really fancy” Brisbane house paid for by his team, says a lot of work goes into his craft.
Brandon Alexander is a member of the Chiefs Esports Club.
“That’s why I think it’s similar to traditional sports,” Alexander said. “Yeah, we don’t have a lot of active movements, but there are a lot of reaction times and thinking on the spot.”
The Penrith Panthers are top of the rankings for the first time – ahead of Melbourne City (second), the Crusaders (third) and UNSW’s male water polo team (fourth) – but it is the inclusion of an esports team that will arouse curiosity among sports fans.
The Chiefs Esports Club is widely regarded as Australia’s most successful electronic sports organisation.
“The game they play is called League of Legends,” said Simon Strachan, a co-founder of Gain Line Analytics, which is also run by former Wallabies prop Ben Darwin.
“A team has five people on it. They have different roles within the game … and they all work together to achieve a particular goal. As a team, they can still recruit and they train together. The only thing different to say a normal sporting franchise is they play online compared to physically.
“They have one million-plus viewers over the competitions. Esports globally is massive. It met the five-year criteria, so it could enter into the rankings. It’s a legitimate competition compared to anything that is done physically.”
Teams across Australasia were given a score by analysts, who looked into performances across a five-year period from 2019 to 2023.
Every game in every sport in Australasia, where there is an ongoing home-and-away or equivalent competition, was analysed.
Nathan and Ivan Cleary with the Provan-Summons trophy.Credit: Getty
More than 8400 individual match results involving 173 teams have been compiled in the data. National teams were excluded from the study.
Win-and-loss records were looked at, among other detailed factors, before a z-score was produced to give comparisons across codes.
The Panthers, who this year chalked up a third successive NRL premiership, won $10,000 for topping the rankings.
The club will donate its winnings to local charity “Panthers on the Prowl”.
Brandon Alexander with his Chiefs Esports Club team after its League Circuit Oceania grand final win.
“Our first-grade team stands as a testament to meticulous planning, robust development strategies, and the vital attribute of patience exhibited by our senior administrators,” Penrith chief executive Matt Cameron said. “It’s crucial for us to maintain our resolve.”
The highest-ranked women’s team was the Adelaide Crows (fifth) in the AFLW, ahead of the Melbourne Demons (seventh), Brisbane Lions (eighth) and Sydney FC (ninth).
The Perth Scorchers (male) were the highest-ranked cricket team (10th), ahead of the Adelaide Strikers (female) and Western Australia’s domestic sides (male).
Three male New Zealand Super Rugby sides – the Crusaders, Blues and Chiefs – swept their Australian rivals. The NSW Waratahs women’s team was named in 21st place.
Alexander and his team didn’t even have to leave their chairs to make the top 25.
They train together every day, from roughly 10am to 6pm, before sharpening their skills further in the evenings.
As with other sports teams, injuries occur.
“It’s super important to stay active,” Alexander said. “You see a lot of players in esports where they get carpal tunnel syndrome or really bad hands. You have to look after yourself because once you can’t use your hands for the mouse and keyboard, then you can’t play.
“Every day is practise, practise, practise before the game day. When the season was on with the Chiefs, we had a personalised house where everyone would come together and practise. We cemented our legacy in Australia [this year], so I’m proud of that.”
The secret to success? Staying off Red Bull.
“I go for natural enhancements,” Alexander said. “I don’t like Red Bull because it gets me too energised. I like being calm. Because the games are so long, you feel drained with them. You never know how long the games could take.”
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