Billy Brownless
Encyclopedia
Anthony William "Billy" Brownless (born 28 January 1967 in Jerilderie, New South Wales
, Australia
) is a former Australian rules football
er with the Geelong Football Club
in the Australian Football League
and media personality.
, winning the Cats
' Best First Year Player award that year. He went on to play 198 games and kick 441 goals, putting him 3rd in Geelong's all-time goalkicking list, behind Gary Ablett (1021) and Doug Wade
(834).
One of Brownless' fondest memories was booting a goal after the siren against Footscray
in the 1994 qualifying final. With Geelong trailing by one point, he marked the ball within scoring range with just seconds left and booted a goal to send Geelong through to the next stage of the finals. While the Cats eventually made it to the Grand Final
, they lost that match and it was a sad tale of Brownless' career that he played in four losing Grand Final teams with Geelong.
Brownless retired in 1997 at 30 years of age.
Billy Brownless has the record for most goals in a game at the Gabba, with 11.
. On The Footy Show he appeared in "The House of Bulger" segment as a woman named Joybell.
In 1992 he became the inaugural winner of the Mirrool Silo Kick
in the Riverina
, kicking an Aussie Rules football 32 metres plus over the Mirrool Silos.
As of 2005, he now stars in The Sunday Footy Show, as well as continuing his appearances on The Footy Show. He also co-hosted Morning Glory, a weekday breakfast show on Melbourne radio station SEN 1116
. Brownless finished his 5-day a week stint on the 28-11-2008. Brownless stars on Before the Bounce, a weekly football show on Foxtel
alongside Jason Dunstall
and Danny Frawley
.
In May 2008, Bill Brownless was added as a regular on the Thursday night AFL Footy Show to replace an incapacitated Sam Newman
, but was relegated to guest panelist upon Newman's return.
Jerilderie, New South Wales
Jerilderie is a town of 768 people in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the only town in the Jerilderie Shire Local Government Area....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) is a former Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er with the Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
and media personality.
Football career
Brownless made his VFL/AFL debut in Round 1, 1986 and quickly made a name for himself as a strong full-forwardFull-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
, winning the Cats
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
' Best First Year Player award that year. He went on to play 198 games and kick 441 goals, putting him 3rd in Geelong's all-time goalkicking list, behind Gary Ablett (1021) and Doug Wade
Doug Wade
Douglas Graeme Wade is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club....
(834).
One of Brownless' fondest memories was booting a goal after the siren against Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
in the 1994 qualifying final. With Geelong trailing by one point, he marked the ball within scoring range with just seconds left and booted a goal to send Geelong through to the next stage of the finals. While the Cats eventually made it to the Grand Final
1994 AFL Grand Final
The 1994 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and West Coast Eagles, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 1 October 1994. It was the 98th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League,...
, they lost that match and it was a sad tale of Brownless' career that he played in four losing Grand Final teams with Geelong.
Brownless retired in 1997 at 30 years of age.
Billy Brownless has the record for most goals in a game at the Gabba, with 11.
Media career
Once Brownless retired from football he moved into the media, appearing regularly on The Footy ShowThe AFL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994 at the same time as the other version which relates to the NRL and rugby...
. On The Footy Show he appeared in "The House of Bulger" segment as a woman named Joybell.
In 1992 he became the inaugural winner of the Mirrool Silo Kick
Mirrool, New South Wales
Mirrool is a small village community at the very northern edge of the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated by road, about 16 kilometres east from Beckom and 19 kilometres west from Ariah Park...
in the Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
, kicking an Aussie Rules football 32 metres plus over the Mirrool Silos.
As of 2005, he now stars in The Sunday Footy Show, as well as continuing his appearances on The Footy Show. He also co-hosted Morning Glory, a weekday breakfast show on Melbourne radio station SEN 1116
SEN 1116
SEN 1116 , the acronym standing for Sports Entertainment Network, is a commercial AM radio station based in Melbourne, Australia, operating on 1116 kHz...
. Brownless finished his 5-day a week stint on the 28-11-2008. Brownless stars on Before the Bounce, a weekly football show on Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
alongside Jason Dunstall
Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...
and Danny Frawley
Danny Frawley
Danny Frawley is a former Australian rules footballer and coach and a current football commentator with Fox Sports.He is the nephew of Collingwood player Des Tuddenham and the uncle of current Melbourne Football Club player James Frawley.- Football career :Recruited from Ballarat, after attending...
.
In May 2008, Bill Brownless was added as a regular on the Thursday night AFL Footy Show to replace an incapacitated Sam Newman
Sam Newman
John Noel William "Sam" Newman is a retired Australian rules football player and current television personality. He is a featured presenter on the AFL version of The Footy Show.-VFL career:...
, but was relegated to guest panelist upon Newman's return.
See also
- After the siren kicks in Australian rules footballAfter the siren kicks in Australian rules footballIn Australian rules football, if a player takes a mark or is awarded a free kick before or as the siren sounds, the player is allowed to take the kick...