Brad Mackay
Encyclopedia
Brad Mackay is an Australia
n former rugby league
footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A versatile Lock Forward for the St George Dragons, Illawarra Steelers
, Western Reds and the merged St. George Illawarra Dragons, he also represented New South Wales
in the State of Origin
and Australia
.
. In 1993 he became one of only two players in history to win the Clive Churchill Medal
in a losing grand final side.
Mackay decided to leave the Dragons due to a poor relationship with coach Brian Smith
, later saying, "Brian had signed an extension on his contract and so I felt like I needed a change or I'd go down the drain as a player."
Mackay joined the Western Reds in 1995
, accepting the foundation captaincy of the Perth
-based side, but moved back east when they joined the Super League
franchise from 1996.
He played for the Illawarra Steelers in 1996
for three seasons where he played 56 games. He later became part of the new Dragons when the joint venture was formed in 1999, playing 24 games. He played a total of 218 first grade games over 12 years.
Mackay played out his career in the 2000 season with the Bradford Bulls
in the UK, winning the Challenge Cup
final with them.
as a reserve in game II of the 1989 State of Origin series
. He went on to play 17 Origin
games between 1989 and 1995, scoring three tries at that level.
He represented the Kangaroos
in 12 tests from 1990 to 1993 including the 1990 Kangaroo Tour
of England. He scored three tries on debut in 1990 against France, only the second player to do so. During the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, he helped Australia retain The Ashes.
He lives in the Illawarra area and is a Fireman.
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...
n former rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A versatile Lock Forward for the St George Dragons, Illawarra Steelers
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
, Western Reds and the merged St. George Illawarra Dragons, he also represented New South Wales
New South Wales Rugby League team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
in the State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
and Australia
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
.
Club career
A St George junior, Mackay was graded by the Dragons in 1987 and then played 117 games with club over eight seasons till 1994 scoring 22 tries. At the end of the 1990 NSWRL season, he went on the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France1990 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France
The 1990 Kangaroo Tour was the seventeenth Kangaroo Tour, where the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Europe and played eighteen matches against British and French rugby league teams, in addition to three Test matches...
. In 1993 he became one of only two players in history to win the Clive Churchill Medal
Clive Churchill Medal
The Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final match ever since the 1986 season. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian history, following his death in 1985...
in a losing grand final side.
Mackay decided to leave the Dragons due to a poor relationship with coach Brian Smith
Brian Smith (rugby league)
Brian Smith is an Australian coach and former player of rugby league football. He is the current head coach at the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. Smith played for St. George and South Sydney Rabbitohs , appearing in a total of 31 first grade games...
, later saying, "Brian had signed an extension on his contract and so I felt like I needed a change or I'd go down the drain as a player."
Mackay joined the Western Reds in 1995
Australian Rugby League season 1995
The 1995 ARL premiership was the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby League. For the first time since 1988, the League expanded again, with the addition of four new clubs from North Queensland, Western Australia, South...
, accepting the foundation captaincy of the Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
-based side, but moved back east when they joined the Super League
Super League (Australia)
Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
franchise from 1996.
He played for the Illawarra Steelers in 1996
Australian Rugby League season 1996
The 1996 ARL premiership was the 89th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the second to be run by the Australian Rugby League...
for three seasons where he played 56 games. He later became part of the new Dragons when the joint venture was formed in 1999, playing 24 games. He played a total of 218 first grade games over 12 years.
Mackay played out his career in the 2000 season with the Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
in the UK, winning the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final with them.
Representative career
Mackay debuted for the New South Wales BluesNew South Wales Rugby League team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
as a reserve in game II of the 1989 State of Origin series
1989 Rugby League State of Origin series
The 1989 State of Origin series was the 10th annual 'series contested between New South Wales and Queensland. It was Queensland's second consecutive Origin clean-sweep and an unpleasant inauguration for New South Wales' new coach Jack Gibson who along with a new captain in Gavin Miller and eight...
. He went on to play 17 Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
games between 1989 and 1995, scoring three tries at that level.
He represented the Kangaroos
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
in 12 tests from 1990 to 1993 including the 1990 Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
of England. He scored three tries on debut in 1990 against France, only the second player to do so. During the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, he helped Australia retain The Ashes.
After football
Brad Mackay is a committed Christian. In 2003, he was active in fund raising for the Joanne Mackay Helping Hand Foundation following the 2002 passing of wife, Joanne from breast cancer.He lives in the Illawarra area and is a Fireman.