Farewell to Tony Brown

The Newtown RLFC regrets to announce the recent passing of the former Newtown and Australian Rugby League Test representative Tony Brown.

Tony was a product of the St Peters JRLFC and was graded with the Newtown senior club in 1953.

He gained first grade selection in 1956 and quickly proved to be an integral member of Newtown’s first grade team throughout the late 1950s and into the early 1960s.

Tony went on to win regular selection as a fast, elusive and skilful five-eighth in Sydney, NSW and Australian representative teams.

He won Australian selection in the 1958 Test Series against Great Britain; in the 1959 Test Series against New Zealand and then on the Australian Kangaroos tour of Great Britain, France and Italy in that same year; in the 1960 Test Series against France, and then as a member of the 1960 Australian squad that played in the 1960 Rugby League World Cup in England.

He also represented NSW against Queensland and international touring teams between 1958 and 1962.

Tony Brown played with the Newtown club from 1953 to 1964 before transferring to the Penrith club in the NSWRL Second Division competition. He captained Penrith in that club’s inaugural season in the NSWRL First Grade competition in 1967.

He had the honour of winning selection as five-eighth in the Newtown RLFC Team of the Century in the club’s Centennial Year in 2008.

The Newtown RLFC extends sincere condolences to the Brown family and to Tony’s many friends.