User:Leaguefanatic

I have been a Rugby League fanatic my whole life not really built for the game I always admired the players for the hard work, dedication and extreme punishment the men of this sport put their bodies through week in week out. I used to sit and listen to the other fans talking of the exploits of Wally Lewis, Greg Oliphant, Tommy Raudonikis and the like but myself I admired more those players that never really reached the dizzy heights of fame that these 3 players mentioned attained, I loved watching the park footballers who battled away week in week out and put just as much time and effort in at training and on the field that the more illustrious players did.

One such player was Steve BOMBER Brown although not a well known name in the conventional Rugby League circles he is still one of the players that I admired and absolutely loved watching play this great game. Bomber began his senior career on the Sunshine Coast in Qld playing for the Palmwoods Devils under the coaching expertise of Gary Pearson, he was also taught the trade of hooker in those days the number 12 by Gary Prickett who was a player at the club and a renowned hooker who had played for West's in Brisbane as well as the Queensland Maroons before the heady days of the State Of Origin. Gary Prickett saw a determination in Bomber and the will to succeed that he had not seen in a young player before and realized that the Sunshine Coast competition would be but a stepping stone for this diminutive yet extremely tough young rake so after the 1982 season helped Steve make a move to Brisbane where he took up a contract with the Norths Devils at Albert Bishop Park at Nundah.

Steve made his A grade debut in 1983 against Souths at Bishop park and grabbed his chance in first grade with both hands and had a great game along side players such as Trevor Gillmeister, Tony Elliot, Allan Mills, Greg Conescu and Brian Dunne. Early in the season Steve found it difficult having a very aggressive on field nature and an aloof personality he did not endear himself to the lower grade coaching staff so found it difficult at times to fit in to the club. But after storming through the games in the lower grades and winning a good number of Man Of The Match performances he finally got his chance against Souths as talked about earlier.

In 1984 Steve Bomber Brown was selected in the First Grade line up for the Norths Devils State League campaign and after a strong performance against the Tom Raudonikis coached Ipswich Jets Steve looked certain to play dfirst grade at Norths for a very long time unfortunately this was not to be a shoulder injury in the following game at the old Lang Park against the Wally Lewis Captain coached Wynnum Manly gave a young hooker none other than Steve Walters an opportunity and the rest is history.

After the disappointment of 1984 Steve was offered a contract in 1985 with a club in Toowoomba Queensland where he had played all his junior football with, the Newtown Lions this was to be a very successful marriage under coach Bill Pollard who had a very similar temprament to Steve and needed a no nonsense tough but talented player and this is what he was delivered in the shape of Steve Bomber Brown. That year the Newtown First Grade side swept all before them and won the TRL Grand Final against their arch enemies the All Whites Saints, player of the match was none other than Steve Bomber Brown his deft passing and running from dummy half and his uncanny ability to win ball from scrums against the feed gave the lions so much ball the result was put way beyond doubt within the first 30 minutes.

Over the course of the next 2 seasons Steve was a member of the Mighty Toowoomba Clydesdale squad under Greg Platz but due to Steve's aggressive nature on the field both player and coach found it hard to see eye to eye and eventually in 1988 Steve left for a short stint in Sydney but once again a severe shoulder injury put pay to what might have been, and Steve returned to Brisbane to receive treatment with the possibility of never playing again on his mind.

However in 1989 Newtown once again threw him a life line and the tough but not so conventional little rake gave the club his all and took out many awards at the club presentation night that year, Steve then went into retirement to concentrate on business opportunities and then also moved into coaching in 1990 and 1991 he coached Norths Banyo Devils the sides he coached played a style that was very reminiscient of The Bombers style of play lots of defence extreme tough in your face style which led to the two sides he coached over those two years playing in Grand Finals.

In 1992 Steve Bomber Brown received a call from Newtown once again asking him to return to Toowoomba which he did even though 30 years of age the club could see the value and example an older player like the Bomber could set for the younger players here he played alongside the likes of Robbie O'Davis and Steve Price on the day that both these players made their First grade debut's. Once again Newtown made the Grand Final but unfortunately they were beaten by a determined Valley's side after the game Steve retired.

In 1993 Steve coached the Reserve grade side but without a team of committed players and the frustration of this the side was relegated to 7th position by the end of the 1993 season Steve decided to retire from the game completely.

In 1997 Steve Bomber Brown then appeared back on the scene in Central Western Qld as the captain coach of the Longreach Thompson Tigers at 35 years of age most players would have gone to seed and be only there for a bit of fun and collect a coaching fee but not Bomber he was as fit so I am told more fit and in shape then possibly right through out his whole career. This was Steve's first venture as a first grade coach and in that year not only did Steve score a try in the Grand Final the Tigers actually won a huge feat considering the club had disbanded prior Steve Bomber Browns arrival, after the Grand Final in Longreach this was the end of Steve's playing career

He seemed to vanish after this until 2002 where he reappeared coaching a C grade Sunshine Coast team called Beachmere running 5th that year in 2003 Steve Bomber Brown took the club to its first ever Sunshine Coast C grade premiership.

I have been told over recent years Steve has coached Beachmere C Grade, Bribie Island Warrigals A Grade and the Sunshine Coast Falcons Representative team.

As you can see Steve Bomber Brown never played for Australia was not a Wally Lewis but as I sit here and type this I remember him fondly for the memories he gave me for the fun he provided for me and the way he would always say G"day to fans whether they be kids, adults it didn't matter players like Steve Bomber Brown are in my eyes the real heroes of our game, so remember next time you want to see a game of footy or rub shoulders with real players maybe take a trip to your local footy club who knows how many Steve Bomber Browns are there for you to sit back and watch in amazement.

Well its been awhile since I have written something about this persistent player & coach after the Bribie Island Warrigals Bomber appeared at a Brisbane Second Division Club has their head coach of the Senior Rugby league programme at Pine Central Hornets's in 2014 the side was ill disciplined and had a few run ins and suspensions back in 2013, something Bomber was very used too as a player. Anyway after a few hiccups early on in the season the side began to gel under Browns tutorledge and even though beaten convincingly in the Ted Beaumont trophy in 2014 went on to win the second division Grand Final in the same year. Steve stayed with the side for the following season 2015 but having lost 14 players to the newly formed Brisbane BRL competition the team struggled to find the form that they showed the year before and ran 5th in the competiton. In 2016 Steve moved on to the Fortitude Valleys Rugby League Club where he took the reins of the Premier grade side but due to the lack of number across the club many of his players were promoted to the BRL A grade team at times leaving Steve with 15 players and 13 on one occassion that I attended a game. Over the year the side bumbled along winning one loseing 2 then winning another in 2016 the side came in 5th.

In 2017 Bomber was offered an opportunity by a player he coached back in the early 1990's Craig Kennedy who was the encumbent Under 20 FOG'S Cup coach for none other than the North's Devils to assist him with the team, I saw many of these games and the side was well disciplined and well coached. This side won the Minor Premiership and made it too the Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium to play against the arch rivals the Redcliffe Dolphins unfortunatly it was not to be and the Devils were resoundingly beaten. As I type this I have been told that Steve has now returned to the Diehards as an assistant to Don Gailer in 2018, a coach not too far from the mould of Bill Pollard who Steve respected immensely and looked to Bill as a mentor it will be interesting to see where this goes, rest assured I will be attending a few Valleys games this year to watch more of the Bombers career unfold.

Leaguefanatic