Bradley Clyde is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s who, at the peak of his playing career was widely acknowledged as the best lock in the game. He represented both New South Wales, and played for the Australian national side, and played his club football in Australia for the Canberra Raiders and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and in England for Leeds Rhinos.

Clyde is one of only three players, along with Billy Slater and Nathan Cleary, to have twice won the Clive Churchill Medal as the best player in the Grand Final.

A worthy successor to the heritage of the great lock forwards such as Raper and Coote, Bradley Clyde was a cornerstone of successful teams for club, state and country. Clyde’s mobility, skill and toughness made him the prototype of the 21st century forward and helped lead the Canberra Raiders to an era of unprecedented success.

Clyde was born in Culcairn, New South Wales but was raised in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory where his parents were from. Clyde began playing Australian rules football with West Canberra in the ACTAFL and dreamed of playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League. Once he started playing rugby league at school, his mother asked him to make a decision to choose between the codes due to the cost. He began his football career playing in the local ACT competition for the Belconnen United Sharks and was an Australian Schoolboy Rep in 1985, 1986 and 1987. While attending Hawker College, Clyde played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1986 and 1987

In 1988, Clyde was graded by the Canberra Raiders, winning the club's rookie of the year award, and soon established himself as an indispensable player for the club. He played in three Grand Finals (1989, 1991 and 1994) and was the recipient of the Clive Churchill Medal for the Best and Fairest Player in the Grand Final twice (1989 and 1991). Along with Brad Mackay (St George in 1993), Daly Cherry-Evans Manly in 2013), and Jack Wighton (Canberra in 2019), he is also one of only four players to win the Clive Churchill Medal whilst on a losing Grand Final side (1991).

He was also a member of Canberra's premiership winning sides of 1989 (also winning the club's player of the year award that year).

Clyde's 1990 season ended when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a Round 20 match against the Eastern Suburbs Roosters at Henson Park. This proved to be a double whammy for Clyde as it caused him to not only miss Canberra's 18–14 win over the Penrith Panthers in the Grand Final, but his injury meant his unavailability for the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France for which he would otherwise have been considered a certain selection.

Clyde returned to the field in Round 7 of the 1991 season, and his form quickly returned. He went on to play in the Raiders 19–12 loss to Penrith the Grand Final. He then started for Canberra in their 36–12 win over Canterbury in the 1994 Grand Final. At the end of the 1994 NSWRL season, he was selected for the 1994 Kangaroo tour. In a career spanning eleven seasons with the Raiders, Clyde scored 39 tries in a total of 178 games.

Clyde moved from the Raiders to the Bulldogs in 1999, playing with the Belmore (Sydney) based club and scoring 8 tries in 36 games. English Super League club Leeds Rhinos signed Clyde on a two-year deal starting in 2001. He moved to the club alongside fellow Australians Brett Mullins and Tonie Carroll, finishing his playing career there.

He made 12 appearances for New South Wales in State of Origin games between 1989 and 1994 at lock forward. During his State of Origin career, Brad scored 2 tries for a total of 8 points.[9] He was well regarded as a Clyde was recalled to the New South Wales team for the 1999 series but a horse-riding accident in a team bonding exercise before the series opener ruled him out for eight weeks with a damaged shoulder.

Clyde represented the Kangaroos in 19 Tests over five years scoring six tries. He was named Man-of-the Series in 1989 with his debut tour v New Zealand. Injury in 1990 would prevent him from playing in the mid-season test against France in Parkes, however, his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury suffered in Round 20 of the NSWRL season would prevent his selection for the one off Test against New Zealand at Athletic Park stadium in Wellington, as well as the 1990 Kangaroo tour. Clyde returned to the Australian team for the 1991 Trans-Tasman Test series against New Zealand where he was one of Australia's best in the 2–1 series win.

During the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, he helped Australia retain The Ashes, and was awarded the Harry Sunderland Medal for the Player of the Series. He was also selected to play at lock for Australia in the 1992 Rugby League World Cup final at London's Wembley Stadium following the 1992 NSWRL season. Although Australia retained its World Champions crown with a 10–6 win over Great Britain, Clyde had an unhappy game after dislocating his shoulder midway through the second half.

Bradley Clyde is an inductee into the NRL Hall of Fame and also the NSW Blues Hall of Fame alongside Bob Fulton, Andrew Johns, Ron Coote, Laurie Daley, Bob McCarthy, and Brad Fittler. In 2002, Clyde was named in a 90s Team of the Decade. In February 2008, Clyde was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Also following retirement Clyde served on the NRL Match Review Committee, the NRL Judiciary, and on the NRL Anti-Doping Tribunal.