Darryl Brohman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Darryl Brohman is a former Queensland rugby league player and commentator, currently working for 2GB on its Continuous Call Team broadcasts.
[edit] Playing career
He hails from Queensland where he attended the rugby league training ground - Wavell High School -in Brisbane's working class northern suburbs. His favourite food was the 'Wavell Special' which is a sausage roll wrapped in a buttered bun. Its claimed he was able to eat five of the culinary delights in a single sitting, drowning them in tomato sauce and washing them down with milk.
While still at High School he played first grade for Norths in the Brisbane competition before moving to Sydney and playing for the Penrith Panthers and Canterbury Bulldogs. Brohman played two State of Origin matches for Queensland in 1983 and 1986.
He is best remembered as a footballer when in his Origin debut he had his jaw broken by a vicious Les Boyd elbow, which saw Boyd suspended for 12 months. Brohman was a talented ball playing forward (a fact disputed by the Continuous Call Team) and played for Canterbury Bulldogs in their 1984 Grand Final win against Parramatta Eels under the leadership of Steve Mortimer. His final match was for Penrith Panthers in the 1987 Reserve Grade Final. The next two seasons he turned his hand to coaching at the newly formed Brisbane Broncos in 1988 and Canterbury Bulldogs in 1989. Brohman's style resembled that of the 1960's where ball-playing forwards were far more commonplace. Strong and hard to tackle, with great touch and subtlety and an outstanding football brain, he was in the same mould as Parramatta great Dick Thornett with a dash of the legendary Arthur Beetson and the hint of a Billy Smith or Alex Murphy.
[edit] Media career
Brohman has found his home in the media where his irritating nature has seen him punted from station to station. Brohman's media career includes stints at 2KA, ABC Local Radio, 2UE, 2SM and once before at 2GB. He also worked on Channel 9's Footy Show, where one of his most memorable performances included crashing into a fence on a motorcycle, and being sarcastically mocked and mobbed by rabid fans during a live cross.
Following the tragic death of former team member Peter Frilingos in 2004, "The Big Mahhnn" was welcomed back to 2GB, taking his place in 2005. Since his return, he has proven to be very outspoken and rude, including referring to the immortal Bob Fulton as "Robbie" and asking personal questions of their many female callers. He is accused by other panel members of not paying attention to the game (preferring to frequent night clubs such as The Vinyl Room than watch his allotted NRL match) and is generally very annoying to other members of the team. When he actually does his homework, he is known for being very long winded in his assessments, much to the frustration of his fellow broadcasters, including Ray Hadley.
In April and May 2006, Brohman spent much of his on-air time discussing a rash in his private areas. It was a chaffing and sweating rash, common to the obese. Numerous sympathisers rang up and suggested remedies that might alleviate his hideous condition.
Although he rates himself as exceptionally funny (indicated by constantly referring to himself in the third person as "Big Man", (pronouncing it The Big Marn), his bad impersonations of celebrities including Survivor's Jeff Probst and current California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger)are known to grate on fans. Hadley has often threatened Brohman with dismissal and numerous callers have suggested that changes to Australia's industrial relations laws would allow Hadley to do so.
The Big Mahhn as he describes himself is employed by Konami and during the week works as a sales rep promoting poker machines at leagues clubs. Brohman also lives in one of Sydney's most prestigious suburbs, Barden Ridge (formerly Lucas Heights) and has switched his allegiances to local team, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, after previously supporting former clubs - Canterbury and Penrith. His on-air persona does not endear himself to all the players in the NRL however, and despite his standing as a nominee for the Penrith Team of the Century, he had a public falling out with premiership winning captain Craig Gower.
Many rumours have circulated as to how Brohman upset Gower but despite claims "the Big Mahhn" may have stolen one of Gower's party pies during a promotional appearance, the majority believe Gower simply got sick of Brohman's criticism. Including calling him "a cat" in some games where Rugby League Week rated him as a nine out of ten performer.
Brohman has been involved in a number of other dramas during his life including offending many members of the scrap metal industry with scathing attacks including calling them "scavengers".
Brohman has many nicknames amongst the Continuous Call Team, including Fat Guts, Showbags (Full of Crap), Fillet (no backbone), Fatso, The Big Fat Blancmange, and the 150kg White Ant, due to constant undermining of his team mates. This never more prevalent than when the well respected Steven "Blocker" Roach is absent. Even an avid listener rang up and suggested a nickname for him - "Peter Pan" - by having an inability to grow up.
In 2006 he began a column in the Western Weekender called "Outrageous". The Weekender is a newspaper in western Sydney that is distributed for free, which according to some critics, is overvaluing Brohman's column. However, in the latter part of Season 2006, Brohman also began writing a humorous, satirical weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph, Australia's number one selling paper. At least it is promoted as being humorous and satirical with evidence thus far proving otherwise.
The Continuous Call Team are constant observers of Brohman's description on Wikipedia and love reminding him of his colourful career through jibes about this website. Brohman is known to loathe the information contained herein and has tried to discredit its accuracy including during an on-air segment on Sunday September 24.
[edit] The Future
Unfortunately, Brohman has renegotiated a three-year deal with 2GB as part of the long-standing and well-respected Continuous Call Team with unlawful bribing as well as often self-aggrandising sycophantic grovelling to radio management and the powers that be.
Despite his ineptitude, it is strongly suggested that the contract can be revoked at any time if he falls out of line with gratuitous comments, lack of professionalism and condescending misdemeanour.
To add insult to injury, Bob Fulton will still be referred to as "Robbie" while verbal harassment will be hurled at Steve Roach as well as the head gibberer Ray Hadley, who, of course, has been campaigning for Brohman's dismissal without success.
