Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1956-12-05)5 December 1956 (age 68) Wagga Wagga,New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback, Wing, Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 14 August 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greg Brentnall (born 5 December 1956 inWagga Wagga,New South Wales) is an Australian formerrugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. AnAustralian international andNew South Wales representativefullback andwing, he played forCanterbury-Bankstown in theNew South Wales Rugby League premiership, winning the 1980 grand final with them.[3]
In the 1960s and 1970s, Brentnall playedAustralian rules football with the Turvey Park Bulldogs in theRiverina Football League.[4] Representing New South Wales in theTeal Cup, Brentnall caught the eye of talent scouts from the then strugglingSouth Melbourne Football Club in theVictorian Football League (VFL). Instead, he switched to rugby league, playing forTurvey Park in the localGroup 9 Country Rugby League competition, before taking up a contract with theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the New South Wales Rugby League competition. His ability to catch the high ball made him a valuable fullback for many rugby league representative teams, and he represented Australia.
Brentnall played on the wing for New South Wales in the inaugural1980 State of Origin game and scored the first try in Origin history. Later that year played in Canterbury-Bankstown's Grand Final-winning side. In 1982, he became Canterbury's firstRothmans Medal winner and also toured with that year's undefeated Kangaroos,"The Invincibles", playing all 6 tests on tour, includingAustralia's first ever test againstPapua New Guinea which was played immediately prior to the tour.[5]
In 2004, Greg was named as a reserve in the Berries to Bulldogs 70 Year Team of Champions. On 1 April 2007, he was inducted into the Bulldogs Ring of Champions.[6]
Brentnall retired from playing after the1983 NSWRL season at the age of just 26 to take up the position of RL development officer in the Riverina for thirteen years.[7]
Brentnall joined the newly formedMelbourne Storm as assistant coach under former team-mateChris Anderson. Later appointed football development manager, he continues to work there and the club have honoured him by naming the young achiever (under 18 player) trophy after him. He was also appointed chairman of theVictorian Rugby League.[8]