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Full name | David John Brooks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Walcha, New South Wales, Australia | 24 May 1962|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 86 kg (13 st 8 lb) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] |
David Brooks (born 24 May 1962) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A one-club man, Brooks played his first-grade career primarily with the Balmain Tigers in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, with a couple of short stints in England in the off-season with Hull FC and later with Chorley Borough. Brooks primarily played in the second-row.
While attending McCarthy Catholic High School in Tamworth, Brooks played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1979. [3]
Brooks made his first grade debut for Balmain in round 1 of the 1983 season against South Sydney at Leichhardt Oval. Brooks ended his debut season as the club's top point scorer.
Brooks was selected to represent New South Wales as a second-rower for Game III of the 1985 State of Origin series.
Over the next few seasons, Balmain would feature regularly in the finals and in 1988 the club reached their first grand final since 1969. Brooks played at second-row in the club's 24-12 grand final loss against Canterbury-Bankstown at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Balmain would reach the grand final the following season against the Canberra Raiders but Brooks did not play in the finals series or the grand final itself. In 1990, Balmain reached what would be their last finals series with Brooks playing in the elimination semi-final which Balmain lost 0–16 against Manly-Warringah.
Brooks final game as a player came in 1992 in the reserve grade grand final against North Sydney which Balmain lost 28–14 at the Sydney Football Stadium. [4] [5]
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles. In 1999 they formed a joint venture club with the Western Suburbs Magpies club to form the Wests Tigers for competition in the National Rugby League (NRL). They no longer field any senior teams in the lower divisions. At the time of the joint venture only South Sydney Rabbitohs and the St George Dragons had won more titles than the Tigers.
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Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney Stadium. Prior to its merger with the Western Suburbs Magpies, it was the longtime home of the Balmain Tigers, who used the ground from 1934–1994 and 1997–1999. It was named after Ludwig Leichhardt.
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