Rugby league great Brad Clyde to guest star at Men of League charity weekend

Yet the talented league legend who went on to win two premierships and pull on the treasured Blues and Kangaroos jumpers has revealed that he could have been lost to the game for his other sporting love, Aussie Rules, had it not been for Canberra being admitted into the National Rugby League just a few years earlier.

Now aged 52, the tenacious lock or second-row forward, who became an ambassador for the game because of his "mister nice guy image" both on and off the field, is giving back to the sport he excelled in through the Men of League (MoL) Foundation.

A MoL board member for the past 12 months, Clyde will be the special guest at the Port Stephens branch's biggest fundraising weekend of the year to be held in Nelson Bay next month.

The former Raider and Bulldog will attend the hand-in-hand dinner on Saturday, May 21, kicking off at 6pm at Nelson Bay Golf Club, followed by the charity golf day to take place on Sunday, May 22, on the Nelson Bay golf course, hitting off at 9.30am.

Tickets for both these events are now available from the golf club.

"The rugby league community is pretty unique with many of its players hailing from a blue-collar background ... and I think it's important to have a network of people that we can lean on when times get tough," Clyde told the Examiner.

"One of the key reasons I wanted to get involved in the foundation was because of the camaraderie among players and the willingness of players to take care of our own. But the game is much more than the players, it's whole families, officials, members and we need to be engaged and supportive with our entire footballing family."

Having been raised in the Canberra suburb of Holt and playing for the Belconnen junior league club, Clyde's rise to the elite level was meteoric.

"My father John [who remains fit and active at age 80] played and coached in both rugby league and AFL so as a youngster, from the age of seven, I played both codes," Clyde revealed.

"By the time I had reached 15 it became too much for mum and dad to be driving me around everywhere so I had to choose between the two. I picked league because the Raiders had just entered the major competition [now known as the NRL], which had provided players like myself a pathway to the top grade."

It helped that Clyde had a bit of ability as a footballer: he had already represented Australian schoolboys under 15s.

After finishing his Year 12 studies, Clyde was rocketed straight into the Raiders development system and by age 18 (in 1988) he had made his first grade debut under coach Tim Sheens.

"Gary Coyne had pulled out injured and the only thing I remember during that week was that it rained in the lead up to the game [played against Wests Magpies at a soggy Campbelltown], and having to pinch myself sharing a dressing room with players of the calibre of Meninga, Daley, Belcher and Peter Jackson."

For the record, the Raiders won the match.

Clyde soon established himself as one of the strongest defenders in the game plus having a non-stop work rate in attack. He went on to play 178 games in a successful Raiders era before the introduction of the infamous super league.

He played in three grand finals, winning two and taking out the prestigious Clive Churchill medal for the Best Player on two occasions. He also played 12 games for NSW in the State of Origin series during the Blues' golden run in the early 1990s under coach Gus Gould, and pulled on the famous green and gold jumper in 18 tests.

"It was a great era for NSW with the likes of Fred Fittler, Daley, Stuart, Ben Elias and Chief Harragon. Jack Gibson was our coach in 1989 and I learned a lot from him not just about football but about life. Wayne Bennett had a similar influence on me."

The super league war meant that Canberra teammates and close friends Clyde and Stuart could only move onto another super league clubs and in the year 2000 the pair chose to join the Canterbury Bulldogs, who were on the hunt for some experienced players under coach Steve Folkes.

After two years at the Dogs, Clyde was enticed to finish his stellar career in England but an Achilles injury meant he had to cut his contract short and return his young family to Sydney, where Brad took on a football manager's role at the Bulldogs club.

Asked to nominate the toughest player he ever faced on the field, Clyde had trouble splitting the likes of Ian Roberts and Dave 'Cement' Gillespie. Similarly for the most skilful, he could not separate Fittler and Daley. His greatest moment, however, was achieved while still a teenager.

"Winning my first grand final in 1989 (aged 19) is my best memory in the game and sharing the honour with such a tremendous bunch of players."

As a sidelight, the Canberra team was invited to the Lodge for dinner the night after the grand final hosted by then PM Bob Hawke. "Bob was a Raiders fan and he was great company around the pool table."

In more recent years, the father-of-three has moved around the corporate world, while remaining forever grateful for the opportunity to play rugby league at the highest level with some of the game's elite.

"I am looking forward to visiting Port Stephens for the weekend, it's a place I am very familiar with having rolled out a swag many a time holidaying with the family at One Mile Beach."

His form on the golf course, he admits, could need some assistance. Also on the bill at the May 21 dinner to be hosted by former ABC presenter Gerry Collins will be Newcastle development coach Garth Brennan. Tickets for both the dinner and golf day can be purchased on 4981 1132.

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