THE spirit of Warrington Wolves legend Brian Bevan was very much alive at the Halliwell Jones Stadium as his daughter Jeanette Lane joined supporters for a special Heritage Weekend clash against Huddersfield Giants.
Jeanette was a special guest of the club and spoke about her legendary father, his love of rugby league and what it meant to return to the club where he created sporting history.
And there was one thing she was certain of. Her dad would have loved the game.
“He loved every game of rugby league he watched,” Jeanette explained, reflecting on the passion her father retained for the sport throughout his life.
And had he been there watching the modern-day Wire, she was certain the legendary winger would probably still have been capable of making his mark.
“He would probably have scored a couple of tries,” she said with a smile.
Jeanette was particularly proud to be attending the Heritage Weekend wearing one of her father’s original Warrington jerseys – dating from 1952.
For supporters, seeing the jersey being worn by Bevan’s daughter added an extra poignancy to an occasion designed to celebrate the club’s rich history and the players who helped shape it.
Brian Bevan remains arguably the greatest player ever to wear the primrose and blue.
The Australian-born winger arrived at Warrington in the aftermath of the Second World War and went on to establish records which have stood for generations.
He made his first appearance for the club’s ‘A’ team against Widnes in November 1945, catching the eye with his extraordinary pace and scoring a spectacular try. Just a week later he made his first-team debut against Oldham. What followed was an extraordinary 16-year career.
Bevan made 620 appearances for Warrington and scored a phenomenal 740 tries, numbers which remain club records. His career total in Britain was an incredible 796 tries.
He was the leading Warrington try-scorer in almost every season between 1946-47 and 1960-61 and twice scored seven tries in a single match – a club record which still stands.
The Wing Wizard was also a key figure in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, helping Warrington win three Championships and two Challenge Cups, as well as Lancashire honours. His final appearance for Warrington came against Leigh at Wilderspool on Easter Monday in 1962.
More than 16,000 supporters packed into Wilderspool to say farewell – and, in a fitting finale, Bevan scored his 740th and final try for the Wire. At the final whistle supporters flooded onto the pitch before Bevan was given a guard of honour.
Today, his name remains embedded in the fabric of Warrington Wolves.
His statue and the Brian Bevan Wall at the Halliwell Jones Stadium provide permanent reminders of a player whose achievements have become almost impossible to imagine in the modern game.
He remains the club’s all-time leading try-scorer by a huge margin – with the current second-highest scorer, Jackie Fish, on 214 tries.
For Jeanette, however, the statistics and records are only part of her father’s story.
To her, he was simply Dad – a man who loved watching rugby league and would undoubtedly have relished the opportunity to watch today’s players take to the field.
She also took the opportunity to thank Warrington Wolves for their hospitality and for making her feel so welcome during the Heritage Weekend.
And as she proudly wore her father’s 1952 jersey inside the stadium, it provided a powerful link between the club’s glorious past and its present.
More than 60 years after Brian Bevan’s final appearance in primrose and blue, his daughter was able to stand among the supporters and celebrate his extraordinary contribution to Warrington Rugby League.
The Wing Wizard may be gone, but as Jeanette’s appearance at the Halliwell Jones demonstrated, Brian Bevan’s legacy is very much alive.
