Bradman Best
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 9 August 2001[1] Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 103 kg (16 st 3 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Fullback, Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] As of 21 July 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
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
- ^ "Newcastle Knights debutant Bradman Best wants to make name for himself". National Rugby League. 22 August 2019.
- ^ "Bradman Best - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ "Bradman Best: Newcastle Knights hand rookie NRL debut". The Daily Telegraph. 20 August 2019.
- ^ Newspapers, Central Coast (3 December 2018). "Bradman Best trains with the Knights".
- ^ TOOHEY, BARRY (16 January 2019). "Bradman's best to come as young Knight trains with the big boys". Newcastle Herald.
- ^ a b "The future: Meet Bradman Best". Newcastle Knights. 11 November 2018.
- ^ "SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT | NSW Under-16". New South Wales Rugby League. 8 May 2017.
- ^ "TEAM | NSW Under 18s". New South Wales Rugby League. 31 May 2018.
- ^ "NSWRL announces NSW Under-18s Men's squad". New South Wales Rugby League. 22 May 2019.
- ^ "Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League Team 2018 - Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League". SportsTG.
- ^ "Knights re-sign three bright prospects". Newcastle Knights. 2 November 2018.
- ^ "Bradman Best". 1 May 2019.
- ^ "Canterbury Cup NSW Team Lists | Rd 8". New South Wales Rugby League. 30 April 2019.
- ^ a b "NRL team lists, Round 23: Bradman Best, Sam Burgess, Cooper Cronk, Matt Moylan, Tevita Pangai Jr, injuries, suspensions". 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Knights bounce back from Brown exit to thrash Titans". National Rugby League. 31 August 2019.
- ^ a b "How Best got better: The secret to Knights teen star's success". National Rugby League. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "NRL 2020: Bradman Best, Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights, highlights, video, stats, supercoach score". Fox Sports. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "'Stunning': Australia lose it for Bradman". www.adelaidenow.com.au. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.