Riley's fight to save a family

parragirl · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:05 pm Post subject: Riley's fight to save a family

Controversial ... Riley Brown and his brothers Gene and Joel. / The Sunday Telegraph

By James Hooper | March 23, 2008 12:00am

BEING branded public enemy No.1 is nothing compared to the hell Riley Brown and his brothers have endured ... and overcome.

Brown, 23, doesn't consider himself a dirty player. But the unwanted tag is small biscuits compared to the story behind his rise to fame in the NRL.

Try your dad being sentenced to 17 years in jail for murdering your mum. Try having your whole world turned upside down and half your family disowning you.

Try being left as the figurehead for three brothers at age 16 and being made their legal guardian at age 18. This is the amazing tale behind Brown, the hard-working hooker who lived on $200 a week so he could buy a $300,000 house to raise his brothers in the Newcastle suburb of Lambton.

The bloke who would finish training with the Knights, then head home to do the washing, cooking, cleaning and for Joel, now 19, and Gene, now 14.

The role model who still regularly visits his father, Ross, who is in Lithgow prison for the murder of his mother, Judith.

To this day, Riley Brown and his brothers maintain their father is innocent.

"My mum's side of the family just brushed us completely, so that was pretty hard to deal with,'' Brown said.

"I try and stay away from the past.

"I saw dad three weeks ago and I just got off the phone to him then.

"He rings probably twice a week, loves his footy, he's in a footy tipping comp so he always asks 'are you going to win this week?'

"He's going all right. I speak to him as often as I can and I'll probably be going there again in the next couple of weeks.

"When we can, we all go together, but with footy at the moment and everyone playing different days it's pretty hard.''

Brown has two tattoos as a tribute to the plight of his family. The first is a religious cross on his left forearm with the word Aequitas emblazoned across the middle of it. It is Latin for "truth'' or "justice''.
At the top of the cross is a tombstone with RIP, in memory of his mother.

Down the bottom is a set of handcuffs to represent his father. Either side are his brothers names and dates of birth.

Inked in another religious inscription on his left shoulder, Brown has the statement: "A mother's love is always felt and a father's advice is never forgotten.'' He came up with it himself.

Moving to Sydney to link with the Roosters has been the fresh start Brown needed to galvanise his NRL career.

A talented footballing family, his younger brothers Joel and Gene are back in Newcastle playing for the Knights.

This is hard. Having formed an unbreakable kinship, Brown still speaks to his brothers daily.

Both are off contract with Newcastle at the end of this season. Joel is an Australian Schoolboy and Gene is considered a future NRL star, and in Brown's perfect world the trio would be re-united in Sydney.

"They're both a lot older than what they are. They've got their heads switched on,'' Brown said.

"I'm the proudest older brother ever for what we've been through.

"It's been amazing what we've accomplished.''

Brown has enjoyed strong support from his manager Todd Buckingham and grandmother Pauline.

His brothers continue to run the Brown household in Lambton, accepting responsibilities beyond their years.

http://www.news.com.au/dailyteleg.../0,26799,23417151-5012661,00.html

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