Bradman Best

Bradman Best (born 9 August 2001) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre, fullback or on the wing for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL.

Bradman Best
Personal information
Born (2001-08-09) 9 August 2001[1]
Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight103 kg (16 st 3 lb)
Playing information
PositionCentre, Fullback, Wing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2019– Newcastle Knights 14 9 0 0 36
As of 18 November 2020
Source: [2]

Background

Best was born on the Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia.[3]

Best played his junior rugby league for the Woy Woy Roosters,[4][5] before being signed by the Newcastle Knights.

Best is the son of former Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and London Broncos player Roger Best.[6]

Playing career

Early years

Coming through the Knights' lower grades, Best also represented the New South Wales under-16s and under-18s sides along the way.[7][8][9] At the age of 17, Best was invited to train with the Knights' NRL squad.[6] In late 2018, he played for the Australian Schoolboys[10] and re-signed with the Knights on a 4-year contract until the end of 2022.[11]

2019

In 2019, between injuries, Best split his time playing with the Knights' Jersey Flegg Cup team and Canterbury Cup NSW team.[12][13] By August, he turned 18 and was therefore eligible to play NRL. Shortly after, he returned from a foot injury in the Jersey Flegg Cup, scoring three tries and being named man of the match.[14] The following week, in Round 23, he made his NRL debut for the Knights in their 4-46 loss to the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium.[14] In round 24, he scored his first NRL try in the Knights 38-4 win over the Gold Coast Titans at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.[15]

2020

Despite scoring two tries in Round 3 against the Penrith Panthers, Best failed to provide an assist to teammate Edrick Lee in the final stages of the match; which ended in a 14-14 draw.[16] In response, Lee and Best practiced one-on-one passing in the lead-up to the Round 4 match against the Canberra Raiders.[16] In the Round 4 match, Best scored another 2 tries and provided a try assist; which had Lee score the try in a similar scenario to the previous match.[17] After the game, Best sparked instantaneous social media attention, controversially likened to other Australian athletes such as Don Bradman for his performance in the Knights' 34-18 win over the Raiders.[18]

References
  1. "Newcastle Knights debutant Bradman Best wants to make name for himself". National Rugby League. 22 August 2019.
  2. "Bradman Best - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
  3. "Bradman Best: Newcastle Knights hand rookie NRL debut". The Daily Telegraph. 20 August 2019.
  4. Newspapers, Central Coast (3 December 2018). "Bradman Best trains with the Knights".
  5. TOOHEY, BARRY (16 January 2019). "Bradman's best to come as young Knight trains with the big boys". Newcastle Herald.
  6. "The future: Meet Bradman Best". Newcastle Knights. 11 November 2018.
  7. "SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT | NSW Under-16". New South Wales Rugby League. 8 May 2017.
  8. "TEAM | NSW Under 18s". New South Wales Rugby League. 31 May 2018.
  9. "NSWRL announces NSW Under-18s Men's squad". New South Wales Rugby League. 22 May 2019.
  10. "Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League Team 2018 - Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League". SportsTG.
  11. "Knights re-sign three bright prospects". Newcastle Knights. 2 November 2018.
  12. "Bradman Best". 1 May 2019.
  13. "Canterbury Cup NSW Team Lists | Rd 8". New South Wales Rugby League. 30 April 2019.
  14. "NRL team lists, Round 23: Bradman Best, Sam Burgess, Cooper Cronk, Matt Moylan, Tevita Pangai Jr, injuries, suspensions". 20 August 2019.
  15. "Knights bounce back from Brown exit to thrash Titans". National Rugby League. 31 August 2019.
  16. "How Best got better: The secret to Knights teen star's success". National Rugby League. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  17. "NRL 2020: Bradman Best, Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights, highlights, video, stats, supercoach score". Fox Sports. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  18. "'Stunning': Australia lose it for Bradman". www.adelaidenow.com.au. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
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