Salford Red Devils’ halfback Kevin Brown made a memorable Super League debut for Wigan as a teenager in 2003.
But now, eighteen years later, Brown will start the new season as the oldest player in Super League, at the age of 36.
Brown takes over that mantle from last year’s oldest player, Hull FC’s Gareth Ellis.
And now Brown, who has had spells with Huddersfield Giants, Widnes Vikings and Warrington Wolves since leaving Wigan in 2006, is the only player who was born in 1984 who will compete in Super League this year.
Brown was born on 2nd October 1984, when Margaret Thatcher was still the Prime Minister. He shares his date of birth with the French tennis player Marion Bartoli, who won the Women’s Singles title at Wimbledon in 2013 before retiring later that year.
In preparing to start Super League XXVI Brown has outlasted all the other players in his age group.
So which other players are included in the list of the ten oldest players in Super League this year?
There are three players who have turned 35 – Thomas Leuluai of Wigan and the St Helens pair of James Roby and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook.
Following them are two players who have turned 34. They are the Castleford pair of their captain Michael Shenton and Australian prop forward Grant Millington.
The four remaining positions in the top ten are filled by Krisnan Inu of Salford, Junior Sa’u of Leigh Centurions, Kyle Amor of St Helens and Matt Prior of Leeds Rhinos, who are all aged 33, but all with birthdays coming up in the next three months.
We’ll all look forward to seeing how the season unfolds for these veteran stars, who are listed below with their respective dates of birth.
Kevin Brown (02/10/84)
Thomas Leuluai (22/06/85)
James Roby (22/11/85)
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (14/01/86)
Michael Shenton (22/07/86)
Grant Millington (01/11/86)
Krisnan Inu (17/03/87)
Junior Sa’u (18/04/87)
Kyle Amor (26/05/87)
Matt Prior (27/05/87)
Every current player’s date of birth is revealed in the Rugby League Yearbook 2020/21, which can be ordered from League Publications by going here.
