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Brown asks: Do I stay or go?
05 April 2003 Herald Sun
By MARK STEVENS
NATHAN Brown's future at the Western Bulldogs may depend on ruckman Luke Darcy's intentions at the end of the season.
Dogs' fans worst nightmare: Luke Darcy and Nathan Brown don the jumpers of rival clubs to promote a club membership drive.
If the cash-strapped Dogs re-sign Darcy, Brown is likely to do the same. The brilliant forward has said that although he would prefer to stay at Whitten Oval, the Dogs will probably have wait to tie him to a new deal.
He has revealed the intentions of other out-of-contract stars - including Darcy - will influence his decision.
"Me and `Darc' are great mates. What he does will have a bearing on what I do," Brown said.
But Darcy, considered by many to be an even more valuable commodity, is unlikely to enter into contract talks until the end of the season.
"Historically, Luke has liked to negotiate his contracts at the end of the season and that's what we intend to do," Darcy's manager John Andrews, of ESP, said yesterday.
Brown, now in the AFL's elite, finishes a three-year deal with the Dogs after this season. At 25 and in his prime, the decision whether to stay or go looms as the biggest of his life.
"My first priority is to stay. All my history is there. Six or seven of my best mates are there, along with the rest of the guys," Brown said.
"But it's not something I'm going to rush into. It's a pretty important time for my life. It's going to be probably the biggest contract I'll sign in my football (career).
"I've got to look at all possible options and look at which is the best thing for my future.
Darcy and rising stars Robert Murphy and Daniel Giansiracusa join Brown on a long list of Dogs coming out of contract.
With the club trying to trim player payments back to 92.5 per cent of its $5.94 million salary cap, it will be a huge challenge to keep the talented list together.
The players agreed to take a 15 per cent pay cut this year.
Brown said he would speak to Darcy and close friends Murphy and Giansiracusa before deciding his future.
Negotiations will open with Brown soon, although Bulldogs football manager Stephen Newport is not expecting a rapid resolution.
"It is something that will run for a while," Newport said. "The challenge for us is to convince him this is the place he should continue his footy."
Jim Pana, an old Bendigo connection of Brown's, looms as a key figure in the talks. The businessman manages all the Bulldog's affairs.
"He does everything. I won't have any contact with the club about the contract. The club will contact Jimmy and they'll go through him," Brown said.
The forward admitted his relationship with new Dogs' chief executive Campbell Rose had run hot and cold.
"He is a different sort of character. Me and him (Rose) have had our differences since he got there," Brown said.
"We've had a few shouting matches, but we've had a few laughs along the way as well.
"I hope we're heading in the right direction. I hope Campbell's making all the right decisions. I will look with interest to see what Campbell will come up with in the future."
Rose and AFL football operations manager Andrew Demetriou held a financial briefing with the players on Wednesday, the first of quarterly updates this year.
"He (Demetriou) guaranteed the club is not going anywhere and the club will be safe for the next couple of years," Brown said.
Brown realises his future is likely to be a hot topic all season. After the club's win against Geelong last Saturday, he was approached by several fans inquiring about his future.
"You can't go anywhere these days without somebody asking you what you're going to be doing," Brown said.
"That's only because the supporters care about the club."
05 April 2003 Herald Sun
By MARK STEVENS
NATHAN Brown's future at the Western Bulldogs may depend on ruckman Luke Darcy's intentions at the end of the season.
Dogs' fans worst nightmare: Luke Darcy and Nathan Brown don the jumpers of rival clubs to promote a club membership drive.
If the cash-strapped Dogs re-sign Darcy, Brown is likely to do the same. The brilliant forward has said that although he would prefer to stay at Whitten Oval, the Dogs will probably have wait to tie him to a new deal.
He has revealed the intentions of other out-of-contract stars - including Darcy - will influence his decision.
"Me and `Darc' are great mates. What he does will have a bearing on what I do," Brown said.
But Darcy, considered by many to be an even more valuable commodity, is unlikely to enter into contract talks until the end of the season.
"Historically, Luke has liked to negotiate his contracts at the end of the season and that's what we intend to do," Darcy's manager John Andrews, of ESP, said yesterday.
Brown, now in the AFL's elite, finishes a three-year deal with the Dogs after this season. At 25 and in his prime, the decision whether to stay or go looms as the biggest of his life.
"My first priority is to stay. All my history is there. Six or seven of my best mates are there, along with the rest of the guys," Brown said.
"But it's not something I'm going to rush into. It's a pretty important time for my life. It's going to be probably the biggest contract I'll sign in my football (career).
"I've got to look at all possible options and look at which is the best thing for my future.
Darcy and rising stars Robert Murphy and Daniel Giansiracusa join Brown on a long list of Dogs coming out of contract.
With the club trying to trim player payments back to 92.5 per cent of its $5.94 million salary cap, it will be a huge challenge to keep the talented list together.
The players agreed to take a 15 per cent pay cut this year.
Brown said he would speak to Darcy and close friends Murphy and Giansiracusa before deciding his future.
Negotiations will open with Brown soon, although Bulldogs football manager Stephen Newport is not expecting a rapid resolution.
"It is something that will run for a while," Newport said. "The challenge for us is to convince him this is the place he should continue his footy."
Jim Pana, an old Bendigo connection of Brown's, looms as a key figure in the talks. The businessman manages all the Bulldog's affairs.
"He does everything. I won't have any contact with the club about the contract. The club will contact Jimmy and they'll go through him," Brown said.
The forward admitted his relationship with new Dogs' chief executive Campbell Rose had run hot and cold.
"He is a different sort of character. Me and him (Rose) have had our differences since he got there," Brown said.
"We've had a few shouting matches, but we've had a few laughs along the way as well.
"I hope we're heading in the right direction. I hope Campbell's making all the right decisions. I will look with interest to see what Campbell will come up with in the future."
Rose and AFL football operations manager Andrew Demetriou held a financial briefing with the players on Wednesday, the first of quarterly updates this year.
"He (Demetriou) guaranteed the club is not going anywhere and the club will be safe for the next couple of years," Brown said.
Brown realises his future is likely to be a hot topic all season. After the club's win against Geelong last Saturday, he was approached by several fans inquiring about his future.
"You can't go anywhere these days without somebody asking you what you're going to be doing," Brown said.
"That's only because the supporters care about the club."
