_Johnsy
Referee
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Brownie = top bloke. Great club man.
Brown - I'll cheer Dragons all the way
No hard feelings...sacked Dragons coach Nathan Brown wants his former side to win the NRL premiership. Source: The Daily Telegraph
NATHAN Brown left the Dragons sacked and broken-hearted after six gruelling seasons trying to win his long-time club a premiership.
But the former coach has sent an emotional message to St George Illawarra players from the north of England: "Go and win the comp."
Brown, who is coaching third-placed Huddersfield in Super League, is still cheering the Dragons as the famous club, who play Melbourne in a bumper match at Jubilee Oval tonight, inch closer to their first premiership since 1979.
Hard as he tried, Brown could not crack a title with the Dragons.
In 2005 and 2006, his sides were eliminated in preliminary finals, while he was hooker in three teams - 1993, '96 and '99 - that cruelly lost Grand Finals. But Brown's passion for his former club refuses to die.
"I'd love nothing more than to see them win the competition this season," Brown told The Daily Telegraph last night.
"I'm rapt they're doing so well.
"I talk to (CEO) Peter Doust regularly and (assistant coach) Steve Price and (manager) Craig Young. "Guys like Ben Hornby, Ben Creagh, Justin Poore, Dean Young - those blokes gave me nothing but great support.
"No one would be happier than me to see them go and win the premiership. I'd love to see it. "And Wayne Bennett is a nice man, too. It really is good they're going so well." However, Brown is refusing to claim any credit for St George Illawarra's stellar season.
"Nup, nothing like that," he said. But Young was happy to deflect some praise Brown's way. "(Brown) had a lot of do with a lot of our players, from Jersey Flegg right through to first grade," Young said.
"He was involved in their skills development, which helps them today," he added. "It's nice to see him still cheering for the club. That's the sort of bloke he is. Nathan spent a long time here and wants to see the club go well."
Brown is eyeing a Grand Final victory with the Giants, who are captained by former Wests Tigers fullback Brett Hodgson, before returning home for summer.
"I'm really enjoying it over here," Brown said. "It is also good for the family. From a football point of view, we have a good bunch of blokes. They all work hard and winning makes the game more enjoyable.
"We have been reasonably consistent and are playing well. All clubs are trying to make ground on St Helens and Leeds, but I feel like we are improving. If we can just win our share of games, we can definitely finish in the top four. The top four is obviously a realistic goal."
Brown also spoke in glowing terms about young Bradford prop Sam Burgess. The 20-year-old has indicated he wants to play in the NRL, with Manly mooted as contenders for his signature.
"He's the best young front-rower I have seen," Brown said. "He has a barrel-chested build, is powerful, has footwork and can unload before the line or through the line.
"He is also tough, so he ticks all the boxes. And Sam is only young. Whoever gets him will be getting a high-quality player."
Brown - I'll cheer Dragons all the way
- By Dean Ritchie
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- July 31, 2009 12:00AM
No hard feelings...sacked Dragons coach Nathan Brown wants his former side to win the NRL premiership. Source: The Daily Telegraph
NATHAN Brown left the Dragons sacked and broken-hearted after six gruelling seasons trying to win his long-time club a premiership.
But the former coach has sent an emotional message to St George Illawarra players from the north of England: "Go and win the comp."
Brown, who is coaching third-placed Huddersfield in Super League, is still cheering the Dragons as the famous club, who play Melbourne in a bumper match at Jubilee Oval tonight, inch closer to their first premiership since 1979.
Hard as he tried, Brown could not crack a title with the Dragons.
In 2005 and 2006, his sides were eliminated in preliminary finals, while he was hooker in three teams - 1993, '96 and '99 - that cruelly lost Grand Finals. But Brown's passion for his former club refuses to die.
"I'd love nothing more than to see them win the competition this season," Brown told The Daily Telegraph last night.
"I'm rapt they're doing so well.
"I talk to (CEO) Peter Doust regularly and (assistant coach) Steve Price and (manager) Craig Young. "Guys like Ben Hornby, Ben Creagh, Justin Poore, Dean Young - those blokes gave me nothing but great support.
"No one would be happier than me to see them go and win the premiership. I'd love to see it. "And Wayne Bennett is a nice man, too. It really is good they're going so well." However, Brown is refusing to claim any credit for St George Illawarra's stellar season.
"Nup, nothing like that," he said. But Young was happy to deflect some praise Brown's way. "(Brown) had a lot of do with a lot of our players, from Jersey Flegg right through to first grade," Young said.
"He was involved in their skills development, which helps them today," he added. "It's nice to see him still cheering for the club. That's the sort of bloke he is. Nathan spent a long time here and wants to see the club go well."
Brown is eyeing a Grand Final victory with the Giants, who are captained by former Wests Tigers fullback Brett Hodgson, before returning home for summer.
"I'm really enjoying it over here," Brown said. "It is also good for the family. From a football point of view, we have a good bunch of blokes. They all work hard and winning makes the game more enjoyable.
"We have been reasonably consistent and are playing well. All clubs are trying to make ground on St Helens and Leeds, but I feel like we are improving. If we can just win our share of games, we can definitely finish in the top four. The top four is obviously a realistic goal."
Brown also spoke in glowing terms about young Bradford prop Sam Burgess. The 20-year-old has indicated he wants to play in the NRL, with Manly mooted as contenders for his signature.
"He's the best young front-rower I have seen," Brown said. "He has a barrel-chested build, is powerful, has footwork and can unload before the line or through the line.
"He is also tough, so he ticks all the boxes. And Sam is only young. Whoever gets him will be getting a high-quality player."
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