After a difficult few years, an Italy captain gave the NRL a lifeline by saying, “He feels he has a point to prove.”
After a difficult few years, Nathan Brown has been given a lifeline in the NRL by Manly Sea Eagles. He has signed a “train and trial” contract in an attempt to secure a more permanent deal before the 2024 season.
The Sydney Roosters confirmed the departure of forward Brown, who bears the same name as the former head coach of St Helens and Newcastle Knights, back in September.
After signing with the Roosters in March, he played in ten games before being sent off against Manly in Round 23.
Shortly after, he was sin-binned twice in a single game after dropping down to play in the New South Wales Cup against the Parramatta Eels, another old opponent.
With 18 months remaining on his contract, Parramatta informed him he wasn’t part of their plans, and he left the Eels for the Roosters after a six-season stay that ended inexplicably. He was granted a brief farewell game in the 2022 NRL Grand Final loss to Penrith Panthers.
The Italy captain was only allowed to play reserve-grade for months before to that Grand Final, but he did participate in all three of their World Cup group matches the previous year, notably a 66-6 loss to eventual champions Australia in St Helens.
After a difficult few years, Italy captain Nathan Brown gave the NRL a lifeline, saying, “He feels he has a point to prove.”
Born in Fairfield, Brown primarily plays loose, began his career in Australia with Wests Tigers, making his NRL debut against St George Illawarra in 2013.
But that turned out to be his final senior game for the Wests; in March 2015, he signed with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, where he played for the next two seasons until joining Parramatta.
The forward, who will turn 31 in March 2024, will now attempt to make an impression on Manly’s management team in order to secure a long-term contract for the next campaign.
Anthony Seibold, the head coach of the Sea Eagles, is excited to have someone with his expertise on staff.
Nathan has around 150 NRL games of experience. He represented Parramatta in a Grand Final and represented the Blues (New South Wales) in State of Origin.
“We have more depth in our middle forward group thanks to Nathan. There has been some excellent competition for positions there, so having an additional player who can add skill and experience to our team is crucial.
“Browny has arrived for the proper reasons, which is the other thing. It seems to him that he has something to prove. We’re going to give him that chance immediately.
As with all the players here, there are no promises, but I have faith that he will put in a lot of effort to earn a slot. It can only make us better.
