Brown's manager says deal 'a formality'
24 June 2007 Sunday Herald Sun
Jon Ralph and David Reed
DISCUSSIONS on a new contract for injured Richmond star Nathan Brown are likely to be delayed until the post-season, but his manager, Jim Pana, says he hopes a new deal will be a formality.
Brown's initial four-year deal with Richmond has seen him rewarded as one of the most highly paid players at the club, but he has managed only 41 matches as a Tiger, including 11 since Round 10, 2005.
The 29-year-old reportedly signed a fixed contract of up to $1.7 million, but would be expected to agree to a reduced sum for a deal which will take him into his 30s.
Brown showed he had lost none of his talent on Friday night, returning from complications with his broken leg to kick three goals and lead Richmond to its first win of the year.
Pana said the contract was the least of Brown's priorities, with the former Dog and the Tigers' hierarchy focused on ensuring the comeback was a complete success.
"We have't discussed it," Pana said.
"You wouldn't entertain discussions at the minute for no particular reason other than the focus is so much on him having a successful return and his health, more than anything.
"I think everyone at Richmond, from Greg Miller on, would be more interested in the guy's recovery after what he has been through. He doesn't need any distractions."
While Brown's inability to perform due to injury means a pay-cut is likely, Pana said the small forward was confident he could return to his best.
"I don't think (the contract) will be an issue for Nathan. He certainly wants to stay at the club. Unfortunately it falls into the cross-over period where contracts finish and begin," he said.
"I would expect what will happen is that everyone sits down together and says, 'What is everyone thinking'.
"There is nothing to bargain with. The assumption is that everyone wants to see him come back and I think it's just going to be a formality."
Meanwhile, Richmond is looking back four years to St Kilda's rise from the ashes as inspiration for its run towards the end of 2007.
Brown said the boom finish to great mate Nick Riewoldt's Saints in 2003 was proof the Tigers could flourish in the last 10 games and garner something from a dreadful year.
"We've forgotten about the first half of the year, it was a disaster," Brown said.
"We played some good football but we didn't get the job done. But we are looking at 11 games and we are going to take it from there as a mini-season.
"We have got to have some wins going into a pre-season and have some confidence.
"St Kilda in 2003 won seven of their last eight games and then won the first 10 of 2004, so that's the model we can look at."
Brown spent 80 per cent of Friday match on the field, after 40 minutes in his first match for the Coburg reserves followed by 60 minutes in the Coburg VFL side in Round 11.
"I thought I was going to come on and off in shorter spurts but I think because I started so well the coach left me out there," Brown said.
"In the second and third quarters I came off a bit more but in the last quarter I played another 20 minutes so it would have been about 80 minutes all up," Brown said.
The Tigers face St Kilda on Saturday night at Telstra Dome.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21956590%255E19742,00.html
