Brad 'Whiz' Izzard

Burly centre burst on to the representative scene as reserve in the first State of Origin match of the 1982 series. Izzard was selected on the wing in the next two matches but injury ruled him out of Kangaroo tour contention. While Izzard did not quite reach similar heights in rep football he continued to give the Penrith club great service during a career that had its share of ups and downs. Fitness problems marred his relationships with coaches John Peard, Tim Sheens and Ron Willey, but his efforts under Phil Gould in 1990-91 were instrumental in Penrith's premiership success. In 1991 he was again selected as a reserve for NSW and his second half performance in the grand final win over Canberra was exceptional. Izzard scored the try that brought Penrith back into the game, with the Panthers going on to win the match. A serious neck injury hampered his efforts in 1992 and he was forced to retire on medical grounds the following year. In 2006, to mark the club’s 40th season, he was named in the Panthers’ ‘best ever’ team.