[4] In 1989 Balmain Tigers coach Warren Ryan called up Brasher, still in high school, to make his first grade debut.
Balmain reached the Grand Final that year, Brasher played in the centres, but they lost to the Canberra Raiders 19–14.
Brasher single-handedly carried a very weak Tigers side to within one win of a finals berth that year, and his Origin and Kangaroo performances continued to be exceptional.
However, it has since been discovered that the injury was the result of an accident that occurred during a trail biking adventure with former Cowboy's halfback Nathan Fien.
His impressive display in the second half of the third and deciding game of the series saw him pull off two try saving tackles on Mark Coyne and Mal Meninga, as well as kicking two goals.
After moving to South Sydney, his impressive form in a struggling Rabbitohs squad again earned him a call-up to the State of Origin side in 1998.
After his impressive State of Origin performance, as well as being the 1992 seasons leading try scorer for Balmain (while playing on the wing), Brasher was selected as the Australian fullback in their 1992 World Cup final victory over Great Britain in front of the world record attendance for an international rugby league match of 73,631 at Wembley Stadium.
Shearer's place in the Australian side wasn't disputed though after impressive displays for Qld in the final two games of the Origin series.
In 1995, Brasher finally made the Australian fullback spot his own and he was selected there for all three tests against New Zealand in the Trans-Tasman Test series (only ARL loyal players were selected, which saw only three players, Brasher, Brad Fittler and Rod Wishart retain their places from the 1994 Kangaroo Tour).
With what many would label a 'second-string' team without the inclusion of the Super League players such as Laurie Daley, Bradley Clyde, Allan Langer and Glenn Lazarus.