Nathan Brown Article

jboyar

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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."
 

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Larry6

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#4
Originally posted by Fossie 32
Not great reading - esp the bit about yelling matches with Rose. I guess this sort of stuff goes on behind the scenes all the time so hopefully not too significant.
There was also some comment about a bit of laughter too so all is not doom and gloom in that area.:)
 
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#5
Hopefully well be having both players next year in the red white and blue as i think the both of them will be the first players that we re sign at the end of the year.

About him having a hot and cold relationship with cam rose i mean not everyone is going to get along with him but as long as hes happy at the club im sure thats all that would matter well for now anyway.
 

Curly5

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#6
Expect the media to bring up this topic with increasing frequency as the year progresses. It's going to get a lot more annoying than it is now. :mad:
 
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yeah and cos its browny im sure thee will be one every few weeks.Cant they just get over the fact that hes going to deal with his contract at the end of the year and just leave it at that and let the poor guy get on with his game.
 

jboyar

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Darcy and Brown to stay: Smorgon
By Emma Quayle
April 07 2003





Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon has hit back at speculation that star duo Luke Darcy and Nathan Brown may be lost to the club at the end of this season, denying speculation they must be re-signed as a package.

Smorgon said the club, which, despite continuing financial difficulties, is focused on an AFL premiership, would also keep out-of-contract young guns Robert Murphy and Daniel Giansiracusa beyond this year.

The Bulldogs convinced its players to take 15 per cent pay cuts on the eve of this season and will again look to trim player payments back to 92.5 per cent of the $5.94 million salary cap.

But Smorgon, who also rejected former coach Terry Wallace's claim that the Bulldogs' focus had switched from success to survival, was adamant that none of the club's established or emerging champions would be sacrificed to save money.

He said he was just as convinced that Brown, who was reported in a newspaper article as saying he would discuss his future with Darcy, Giansiracusa and Murphy before signing any deal, will make an independent decision to stay at the club.
 
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