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Key Facts

Full name
Malcolm Gregory Brown

Known as
Mal Brown

Born
26 October 1946 (age 77)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 27y 162d
Last game: 27y 295d

Height and weight
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 97 kg

Senior clubs
East Perth; Richmond; Claremont; South Fremantle

Jumper numbers
Richmond: 18

Recruited from
East Perth (1974); Richmond (1975); Claremont (1977)

Hall of fame
Western Australian Football Hall Of Fame (2004)

Family links
Campbell Brown (Son)

Mal Brown

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
East PerthWANFL1965-19731662541.53
RichmondV/AFL197414251.7979%7.006.502.860
ClaremontWANFL1975-197612211.75
South FremantleWANFL19771090.90
WANFL1965-1973, 1975-19771882841.51
V/AFL197414251.7979%7.006.502.860
Total1965-19772023091.53

AFL: 8,617th player to appear, 7,486th most games played, 3,301st most goals kickedRichmond: 759th player to appear, 616th most games played, 257th most goals kicked

Mal Brown doesn’t believe he deserves the reputation of being ‘Big Bad Mal’. With a laugh that sounded like the roar of a Tiger, he defended his innocence: “I don’t believe in roughness - I’m a Christian!” Now Mal Brown is not the type of bloke you argue with, but a look back over his controversial career in West Australia does tend to indicate he has been involved in an incident or two ...... or three ..... or four ..... Of course, he can also say he won the Sandover Medal as the best and FAIREST in WA, and this is no surprise because in his first month playing with Richmond he quickly proved he has outstanding ability and a quick football brain.¹

After a football career laced with more than its share of controversy it is all too easy to lose sight of the fact that Malcolm Brown was actually both a highly talented footballer and a wily and inspirational coach. Powerful overhead and a prodigious punt kick, he excelled at reading the play, and relished being in the thick of the action.

Brown’s league career commenced with East Perth in 1964 and he was first chosen to represent his state two years later at the Hobart carnival. Along with regular trips to the Tribunal he won a Sandover Medal in 1969, and the following year, aged just 23, he became the Royals’ captain-coach, steering his team to a drought-breaking premiership just two years later. The fact that that ‘drought’ had involved no fewer than seven losing Grand Finals over the previous twelve years gives some indication of the significance of Brown’s impact on the team. 

That same year his leadership qualities were further recognised when he was chosen as captain of the All Australian team after the Perth carnival. The other side of Brown’s character was starkly and memorably revealed at the end of the season during a championship of Australia semi final against Carlton in Adelaide when, for a time, ‘Mad Mal’ seemed intent on single-handedly turning each and every one of his illustrious opponents into mince meat.

Two years later, Brown enjoyed an entire season - minus the odd appointment at the Tribunal, of course - of this kind of activity when he joined Richmond. After one such Tribunal visit he incurred a suspension that, tragically for Brown, took in the Tigers’ winning Grand Final against North Melbourne.

Back in the west in 1975 he took over as coach of Claremont where, a season later, he was personally responsible for the unilateral, if completely unlawful, introduction of the interchange rule, sending a previously replaced player back into the fray after his team was reduced to 17 fit men. Brown’s ‘inventiveness’ eventually cost him his job, but he returned to football the following year as coach of South Fremantle, where he proved himself an excellent leader, steering the Bulldogs to the 1980 flag.

Mal Brown later took over as coach of a struggling Perth side, but his efforts to resurrect the Demons’ fortunes were stymied by the degradations wrought on the WAFL competition by the inception of the West Coast Eagles. Back at South Fremantle for one season in 1992 he managed to steer the Bulldogs to that year’s Grand Final, but a 24-point loss to ‘derby’ rivals East Fremantle spoiled what until then had been a fairytale return.

Football has perhaps had more accomplished and skilful performers than Malcolm Brown, but few as colourful or entertaining. His selection at centre half forward in East Perth’s official ‘Team of the Century 1945 to 2005’ was hugely justified, and ought to have surprised no-one.

Author - John Devaney

Footnotes

1. “Football Life”, June 1974, page 7.

Sources

Full Points Footy's WA Football Companion, Crème de la Crème

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.