Greg Brentnall is an Australian former rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 footballer of the 1970s and 80s. An Australian

Australian national rugby league team

The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...

 international and New South Wales

New South Wales Rugby League team

The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...

 representative fullback and winger, he played for Canterbury-Bankstown

Canterbury Bulldogs

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...

 in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership

New South Wales Rugby League premiership

The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...

, winning the 1980 grand final with them.

Playing career

Brentnall played Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 in Riverina

Riverina

The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...

 in the 1960s before turning down an offer to play in the VFL/AFL and switching to rugby league, taking up a contract with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 1972. In 1973 he also played for Turvey Park in the Group 9 Country Rugby League competition. His ability to catch the high ball made him a valuable fullback for many rugby league representative teams, and he represented Australia. Brentnall played on the wing for New South Wales in the first ever State of Origin

Rugby League State of Origin

State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...

 match in 1980 and later that year played in the Canterbury club's Grand Final-winning side. In 1982, he became Canterbury's first Rothmans Medal

Rothmans Medal

The Rothmans Medal was the premier individual award in both the New South Wales Rugby League and Brisbane Rugby League competitions, and later in the Australian Rugby League, which was given to the player voted by referees as the best and fairest in those competitions for that year.The award was...

 winner and also toured with that year's undefeated Kangaroos, "The Invincibles"

1982 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France

The 1982 Kangaroo Tour was the fifteenth Kangaroo Tour where the Australian national rugby league team plays a number of matches against British and French rugby league teams, in additions to the Test matches...

.

In 2004, Greg was named as a reserve in the Berries to Bulldogs 70 Year Team of Champions. On 1 April 2007, he was inducted into the Bulldogs Ring of Champions.

Post-playing

Brentnall retired from playing after the 1983 NSWRL season at the age of just 26 to take up the position of RL development officer in the Riverina for thirteen years.
Brentnall joined the newly-formed Melbourne Storm

Melbourne Storm

The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....

 as assistant coach under former team-mate Chris Anderson. Later appointed football development manager, he continues to work there and the club have honoured him by naming the young achiever (under 18 player) trophy after him. He was also appointed chairman of the Victorian Rugby League

Victorian Rugby League

The Victorian Rugby League is responsible for administering the game of rugby league in the Australian state of Victoria. Victoria is an Affiliated State of the overall Australian governing body the Australian Rugby League...

.