LARRY BRIGGINSHAW: A Proud Tigers’ Man.

Larry Brigginshaw is proud to be known as ‘Ali Brigginshaw’s Dad‘.

Ali is a legend of Rugby League having played for Australia; captained the Jillaroos, Queensland and the Broncos and she has had her image adorning street banners and posters around Brisbane.

Her Dad never achieved that level of fame, but there was a time when it wasn’t out of the question that he would be stopped in the street by fans, particularly in Brisbane and Ipswich. Larry was a fiery halfback, and captain of 1983 Brisbane Rugby League glamour club, Easts Tigers. He also was a Queensland representative, and played alongside the likes of Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga and Gene Miles.

When television commentators refer to Jillaroos’ forward, Steph Hancock, they often mention her father, Rohan, who played State of Origin for Queensland and toured Britain and France with the undefeated, 1982 Kangaroos.

But ‘Ali’s Dad’ is less well known, probably because he didn’t take that next step to Origin and National honours. He also failed to make his mark in Sydney when he had a season with the Newtown Jets, in 1980, effectively as understudy to the great Tom Raudonikis who had been lured to the club from Wests Magpies by Newtown benefactor, John Singleton.

Larry Brigginshaw first hit the headlines in rugby league playing for Queensland Country against Newtown, in 1979, when he scored the ‘Try of the Match’ in Country’s 16-14 win at Lang Park.

He had been chosen for Country from Ipswich Norths Tigers, and helped steer the John ‘Cracker’ McDonald coached representative side to the semi-finals of the prestigious Amco Cup knockout competition. On the road to the semis, Country also beat North Sydney and Parramatta, with Brigginshaw scoring two tries against the Eels, and earning Man-of-the Match honours.

“There were a lot of nobodies in the team, but we just gelled,” Brigginshaw says. “‘Cracker’ was a good coach, a real gentleman, and went on to become our first Origin coach. Rohan (Hancock) scored a 40 metre try against ‘Parra’, and the next year played for Australia, from Warwick. I see him quite often and he’s still the same person I remember from our playing days.”

Country were beaten 8-5 by Combined Brisbane in the 1979 Amco Cup semis at Lang Park, with Brisbane then beaten 22-5 by Cronulla in the Final at Leichhardt Oval. That same year Brigginshaw played for Queensland against Great Britain at Lang Park, and also in the final Inter-State game of the year at Leichhardt Oval, when his five eighth, Allan Smith, scored four tries in a 35-20 loss.

Brigginshaw played in the 1979 Ipswich Grand Final but Norths went down to Gatton 11-9 in a thriller with Gatton captained by former Queensland hooker, Hugh O’Doherty. Prop Shane McNally scored all Gatton’s points from five goals and a field goal. (Brigginshaw and McNally finished up teammates at Easts in Brisbane and also toured England together with Queensland in 1983). The only try was scored by Norths’ fullback, Ashley Spresser.

In 1980 season Newtown’s Frank Farrington recruited Brigginshaw for the Newtown Jets.

“Frank talked to me and (fellow Ipswich and Country star) Ray Kelly,” Brigginshaw recalls. “The QRL offered me a contract to stay, but there were too many ifs and buts. I loved my time with Newtown. I lived at Clovelly with Mick Pitman, and although I played mainly reserve grade, I learnt so much from the hardened professionals down there.

“I only started in one first grade match – against Wests – when my five eighth was Graeme O’Grady, who was such a smooth operator. Tom Raudonikis was good to me. I think I got the mongrel in my game from him.

“John Singleton was great. It didn’t matter whether you were in first grade or the reserves, he treated everyone the same, and you were all welcome at his table in the Chinese restaurant in the Henson Park Grandstand.”

Brigginshaw returned to Queensland in 1981 after Brisbane Easts’ president, Ted Verrenkamp phoned, and sold him the concept of a club ‘going places’, with former Test hooker and Tigers’ legend, John Lang the new coach after a magnificent farewell season as a player –  with Easts Roosters in Sydney.

“I loved ‘Langy’,” Brigginshaw said. “You could sit down and talk to him about anything. He had great communication skills, and also made sure we had a good time, even though we trained hard.”

In 1981 Easts made the finals, only to be eliminated by the Des Morris led Wynnum-Manly Seagulls in the first week. Brigginshaw was named Easts’ Best and Fairest Player for the season.

The next year the Tigers won the inaugural State League, beating Redcliffe 23-15 in the final at Lang Park, with skilful forward, Cavill Heugh setting up the first three of the Tigers’ four tries.

“In the early rounds, we were supposed to play Wide Bay at Maryborough, but the match had to be called off after our flight from Brisbane was aborted,” Brigginshaw said. “We left Brisbane Airport, but soon after we got in the air, red lights came on, and the crew announced we were turning around. The weather was crook, and all we could see was fog. We landed safely, thanks heavens.

“(State of Origin winger) Brad Backer was already in Maryborough waiting at the ground. He had family up there, and ‘Langy’ allowed him to drive up a couple of days early.”

The 1983 season was the most memorable in Larry’s career, with the then 24-year-old captaining Easts to a 14-6 win over Redcliffe in the Brisbane Grand Final, after which he was named in the Queensland squad, for the historic tour of England, which featured matches against club sides, Hull Kingston Rovers, Wigan and Leeds.

“Redcliffe were minor premiers but we knew we had a side that could beat anyone, on our day,” Brigginshaw recalls. “We had so many exciting young forwards – Trevor Paterson, Gavin Jones, Cavill Heugh, Martin Bella. Trevor and Gavin were so strong up top, and Cavill could have been a five eighth. Marty didn’t play in the Grand Final, as he was still learning about footy, although he had some strong ideas of his own, even then.

“But the ace we had up our sleeve was Wayne Lindenberg, who had that electric pace off the mark. He worked down the left side a couple of times in the Grand Final, and that was the ball game. Redcliffe couldn’t handle him.”

Trevor Paterson was named Man of the Match, but it was five eighth, Lindenberg who was the key to victory, with the former State star lured out of retirement from Toowoomba mid-way through the season.  Easts were defending a 2-0 lead after 67 minutes when Lindenberg gave a magic pass to centre, Brett Tengdahl, who ran 70 metres to score. Five minutes later, a neat inside pass from Lindenberg put Backer into the clear and he did the rest.

Queensland’s UK tour went ahead, despite opposition from some quarters, with concerns in both hemispheres it would detract from tours by the Kangaroos and Kiwis. Brisbane Rugby League official, Kevin Brasch, who had experience playing with Huddersfield and Whitehaven in the UK, pushed for the tour, as did Easts’ stalwart, Verrenkamp, who had played with Leeds.

“Ted wanted to take our club side on tour, but the English and Australian authorities wouldn’t give it the go ahead,” Brigginshaw said. “Ted ended up going as the Tour Liaison officer, and there were eight Easts’ players in the squad (Brigginshaw, Heugh, Lindenberg, Paterson, Jones, Steve Stacey, Paul Khan and Shane McNally).

Coached by Arthur Beetson, Queensland suffered a shock 8-6 loss to Hull KR in the opening match, which proved a brawling affair. Queensland then concentrated on football, and registered big wins over Wigan and Leeds. Brigginshaw started at halfback in the match against Wigan at the famous Central Park stadium where his halves partner, Wally Lewis had set up a memorable try for Mal Meninga in the Ashes clinching Second Test on the 1982 Kangaroo tour. 

“It was magic day, and everything clicked for us,” Brigginshaw recalls. “Wally ran things and it was just up to me to give him the ball. Wally and Wayne Lindenberg were on the bench when I played against Great Britain in 1979. I had to keep ducking in that game, the ‘Pommies’ were such head hunters.”

Larry wanted to return to Ipswich to play for Norths but he couldn’t do that without being available for ‘rep’ footy with the Ipswich Jets, so he finished his career with Easts in Brisbane.

Brigginshaw was a classic low tackler who learnt the art at Norths Ipswich and passed his knowledge on to his daughter, Ali, who also started her career at Ipswich Norths.

“One of the things I love about women’s rugby league is that there is no rubbish in the rucks,” he says. “They tackle properly and don’t get hurt very often. I was only knocked out twice in my career. Now you see blokes getting concussion far too often, largely because they go into tackles in an awkward way. They’re brainwashed to wrap up the ball, but when they have to go low they don’t know how to do it.”

Ali Brigginshaw played for Easts Tigers in the QRLW in 2022 with her and Larry becoming the club’s first father-daughter duo.

With the exception of the one season in Sydney, Larry has played for the Tigers all his career, first with Norths Tigers in Ipswich, and then with Easts Tigers in Brisbane, where he remained until the 1986 season, staying true to the club, despite the players having to take pay cuts. In all that time he lived in Ipswich, first working for the City Council, and then for 34 years on the railways, before he was put off along with 500 other employees. Since that sad day, he has worked as a roustabout at Ipswich Mazda at Bundamba.

His son, Ricky was a fine rugby league player, earning selection for an Ipswich Colts representative side, before knee injuries brought an end to his career.

“He was a centre, and was as good as Ali,” Larry says. “He had wonderful ball skills. My dad played schoolboy football, but knee injuries saw him give the game away early.”

As well as following Ali to as many matches as possible, Larry helps out at Ipswich Norths, sometimes working alongside Rita Langer, in the canteen. Rita, mother of Broncos’ legend, Allan ‘Alfie’ Langer, was honoured with an Australia Day Award in 2023 for her voluntary work in the community.

‘Alfie’ followed Larry through the grades at Norths, and then Ali played alongside the boys until she was 12, after convincing her dad she knew how to tackle.

“I try to follow in Dad’s footsteps,” she says. “He was my main idol.”

Larry and his wife have booked their tickets for NRL Grand Final Day 2026, hoping that Ali can farewell her career by leading the Broncos to NRLW glory on the day. The Broncos claimed the 2025 title after a season-long duel for honors with the Sydney Roosters. Brisbane won the decider 22-18 under the coaching of former Queensland halfback, Scott Prince.

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