Brian Riley was a New Zealand international

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer. He was born on January 19, 1915, to Elizabeth (1874-1928) and Oliver Nathaniel Riley (1871-1952). His older brother Lawrence Leonard Riley (known by Leonard though nicknamed 'Spot') played for Ponsonby United also, and was captain of the senior side. He was still playing when Brian debuted in 1933 at the age of 18 with Leonard aged 28. He also had an older sister, Rene Ruth Riley who was born in 1906. His first match for Ponsonby was against

City Rovers The City Newton Dragons are a defunct New Zealand rugby league club that was based at Victoria Park, Auckland. The club was created in 1948 by a merger of two original clubs, the City Rovers and Newton Rangers. Both the Rovers and the Rangers par ...

Carlaw Park Carlaw Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Parnell, New Zealand, Parnell, a central suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It neighboured the Auckland Domain's Northern end. It was primarily used for rugby league and had a peak spectator capacity of aro ...

on July 1. Leonard had been selected to go on the New Zealand tour of Australia in 1930 but was unable to travel. Riley was Ponsonby's second highest try scorer in their first three decades with 57 tries from 1933 to 1942, only behind Arthur Kay with 71.

Personal life and death

Brian Riley married Valdora 'Val' Peace Matthews (1918-1999) and they had one son, Terrence William Riley (1945-2020).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Brian Date of birth missing Date of death missing New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand national rugby league team players Auckland rugby league team players Ponsonby Ponies players Rugby league centres