Ben Alexander had a promising footy career cut tragically short on June 21, 1992 at just 20 years of age, when he was killed in a drink-driving accident on his way home from a club function. Ben Alexander made his first grade debut in the 1990 season and was a non-playing reserve in the Panthers inaugural Grand Final winning team in 1991 (the Panthers were captained by his brother Greg). The Weekender‘s June 26 edition reported: “Penrith came to a virtual standstill yesterday when thousands flocked to St Nicholas Church to bid farewell to Ben Alexander. “But they are 20, so they are wired differently to me at the moment. Fittler believes the Knock-on Effect road safety campaign personifies the power of rugby league to make a difference in the community. “I don’t think I’m ever going to watch it,” Fittler said. Inspired by Greg Alexander’s bravery to talk about his younger brother’s death at age 20, the initiative’s aim is to tackle road deaths and serious injuries across NSW. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. For other people named Ben Alexander, see, "25 years since Panthers lost Ben | The Western Weekender", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ben_Alexander_(rugby_league)&oldid=983038159, Australian rugby league biography, 1970s birth stubs, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 11 October 2020, at 21:38. Fittler lauded Blues assistant and close friend Greg Alexander for having the courage to talk about his brother in a bid to create road saftey awareness and save lives. See the article in its original context from July 6, 1969, Page 45 Buy Reprints. [1]. On June 21, 1992 the Panthers defeated Easts 23-10 and a function was held at the club afterwards to present the players with their premiership blazers from the previous year. He is a very private person but for him to come says that it is time for the message to come out.”. Invalid postcode. John Carwright is believed to have told his teammates who took the field that day: “You remember some wins more than others, but if you win today you will remember it for the rest of your life”. The front page of the June 26, 1992 edition of The Western Weekender said it all: “Penrith mourns”. Obviously you’ve got to be strong to play and I think when the game is going well you can send tough messages as well. Following in his father’s footsteps, he went to medical school to become a neurosurgeon. in Hollywood. Ben Alexander (13 September 1971 – 21 June 1992) was an Australian rugby league footballer for the Penrith Panthers in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. You can find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out Meanwhile, flags across the Penrith district were flown at half mast.