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25 Facts About Billy Brownless

1.

Anthony William Brownless was born on 28 January 1967 and is a former Australian rules footballer and radio and television media personality who represented Geelong in the Australian Football League during the 1980s and 1990s.

2.

Billy Brownless was born and raised in Jerilderie, a rural town in New South Wales.

3.

Billy Brownless first played football for his local team, the Jerilderie Football Club, when it was part of the Murray Football League.

4.

Billy Brownless boarded for three years in Kilmore, Victoria, at Assumption College, one of Australia's most renowned "football nurseries", a school which has a strong tradition of producing footballers who have gone on to play in the AFL.

5.

In 1984, his final year at the school, Billy Brownless kicked 155 goals for the school team.

6.

Geelong asked Billy Brownless to come and train, but instead he chose to return home to Jerilderie to be with family and friends and play a season of senior football before going to Geelong.

7.

Billy Brownless kicked six of the team's nine goals despite having injured an ankle in the semi-final.

8.

Billy Brownless moved to Geelong in time for the 1986 VFL season and began working as a groundsman at Kardinia Park.

9.

Billy Brownless said that playing for Geelong was a natural progression for him because of the town's rural atmosphere:.

10.

Billy Brownless made his senior VFL debut in Round 1,1986 and quickly made a name for himself as a strong full-forward, winning the Cats' best first year player award that year.

11.

Billy Brownless went on to play 198 games and kick 441 goals, putting him fifth in Geelong's all-time goalkicking list, behind Gary Ablett, Doug Wade Tom Hawkins and Steve Johnson.

12.

Billy Brownless played in four losing grand final teams with Geelong.

13.

Billy Brownless has the record for most goals in a game at the Gabba, with 11.

14.

Billy Brownless first played State of Origin in 1988 for New South Wales.

15.

When Billy Brownless retired from football he moved into the media, appearing regularly on The Footy Show.

16.

Billy Brownless joined 95.5 K-Rock in Geelong as a sales representative.

17.

Billy Brownless regularly appears on the station promoting Wombat Gully plant farm Geelong.

18.

Labor leader Steve Bracks, who would go on to win the state election that year, was a Geelong supporter, and Billy Brownless had persuaded the then Premier Jeff Kennett's wife, Felicity, to become Geelong's female number one ticket holder.

19.

Billy Brownless co-hosted Morning Glory, a weekday breakfast show on Melbourne radio station SEN 1116.

20.

Billy Brownless appeared on Before the Bounce, a weekly football show on Foxtel alongside Jason Dunstall and Danny Frawley until the end of the 2008 AFL season.

21.

In May 2008, Billy Brownless was added as a regular on the Thursday night AFL Footy Show to replace an incapacitated Sam Newman, but he was relegated to guest panelist upon Newman's return.

22.

From 2009 until the show's termination in 2019, Billy Brownless had become a regular alongside Shane Crawford to replace Trevor Marmalade, alternating each week with Crawford and, since 2012, Matthew Lloyd.

23.

In March 2010, Billy Brownless joined Triple M Melbourne's new drive show The Rush Hour with James Brayshaw.

24.

In January 2020, Billy Brownless appeared in the sixth season of the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity.

25.

In September 2021, Billy Brownless announced he was leaving The Sunday Footy Show and the Nine Network after 27 years with the network.