Brett Mullins

Son of former Easts winger Bill Mullins was regarded as the most exciting player in international football in 1994. Graded from Young, Brett Mullins debuted with the Raiders in 1990 as a gangly winger. Injuries cost him a place in the Raiders' 1991 grand final team and again in NSW's State of Origin team in 1993 but his rate of improvement after settling in as Canberra fullback following the retirement of Gary Belcher was nothing short of extraordinary. In the early part of the 1994 season his swerve and speed (reminiscent of Graeme Langlands at his best), coupled with a confident ability to run the ball back or field Ricky Stuart's high kicks, earmarked him as the natural choice as NSW fullback. Injury again ruled him out of the first interstate match and Balmain's World Cup fullback Tim Brasher stole a march on him. Mullins played in the next two matches on the wing but his superlative form at club level saw him make his Test debut as fullback against France at P’matta Stadium. Mullins scored a try on debut and later overcame several niggling injuries to play his part in Canberra's grand final win against C’bury. He finished the season with 22 tries, including four against Newcastle in a brilliant individual performance, which set a NSWRL premiership record for a fullback (since bettered by Penrith’s Rhys Wesser). Mullins appeared in all four Tests on the Kangaroo Tour and scored 11 tries in 12 matches on tour. Automatically joining Super League in 1995, having already signed a five-year contract with the Raiders, Mullins’ rep career lost momentum because of recurring injuries, the Super League split and a lack of discipline. However, his sheer class when fit was best exemplified in his 3 tries in NSW’s titanic 23-22 win in the final of 1997’s Tri-Series competition and in two Super League Test matches against Great Britain at the end of the season. In 2000 he emulated the deeds of his father when he passed the century mark of first grade tries. Mullins eventually ran foul of Raiders officials, most notably for jostling team-mate Mark McLinden in a club match after an opposition try had been scored, and he joined Leeds in 2001. Returning to Australia midseason, he secured a one-season incentive contract with the Sydney Roosters under former club-mate and Roosters’ first grade coach, Ricky Stuart. Mullins ended his career as a winger in the Roosters’ grand final win against the Warriors in 2002 – an echo of the career of his father, Bill.