Slow and steady for Brown
4:30 PM Tue 5 June, 2007
By Catherine Murphy
for richmondfc.com.au
RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace says Nathan Brown is unlikely to play this weekend against Fremantle despite the fact that the star forward believes he’s ready to return to AFL football.
Brown played 40 minutes of football with the Coburg reserves in the VFL at the weekend and pulled up without any distress.
“As a player he is really confident that he’s right,” Wallace said.
“He wants to play as you would. He’s missed a lot, but we’ve also got a responsibility to the club and to the whole group to make sure that there are no hiccups this time.
“We’ll speak to the medical team later in the week but it would be a massive jump from 40 minutes at reserve grade to senior football.
“I’m still very strong on a no risk policy for Nathan and Troy Simmonds to get them back to full fitness and strength. He’s telling me that the manner in which he will train during the week will convince me otherwise.”
Wallace said he wasn’t surprised at Brown’s willingness to return, even after all the complications that followed his injury in 2005.
“It’s the nature of young men, they just want to compete and get out and play… he’s a confident individual and he’ll back his own ability,” he said.
“I’ve always said that he’s braver than what most people think on the sidelines. He has the metrosexual image … but I’ve always seen him as being extremely brave and extremely courageous the way that he plays the game.”
The Tigers’ coach said the club was happy with how he came through his return to competitive action at the weekend.
Wallace says Brown will most likely make an appearance for Coburg’s seniors at the weekend.
If the mercurial forward recovers well from that outing, Wallace suggested Brown was a chance to resume his AFL career against Melbourne in round 12.
Teammate Chris Newman also said Brown had expressed his wish to return this weekend.
“He’s just missed so much footy that he’s just keen to get out there and feel a part of the game and hopefully he realises himself that’s he’s got to be smart about it and see how he feels. We’re not in a rush to get him back, but the sooner the better,” Newman said.
When Terry Wallace jokingly asked Newman if he would start Brown this weekend, he said “I’d pick him”.
http://www.afl.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=44576
