Brown's Tiger vow
05 August 2007 Sunday Herald Sun
Jon Pierik
RICHMOND forward Nathan Brown has declared his best football is still to come as he prepares to sign on for another two years at Tigerland.
As the Tigers tried to regroup from their 70-point mauling by the classy Cats, football director Greg Miller revealed Brown's deal would be finalised this week.
It was welcome news for a man who considers himself a "Tiger for life" and a club in desperate need of strong leadership.
Brown, 29, has not been able to deliver on that this year because of complications with the right leg he broke playing against Melbourne in 2005.
It was clear after the match he has yet to fully heal, with the leg still badly bruised and swollen.
Despite Brown's lack of fitness - he was playing only his seventh senior match of the season yesterday - his class was obvious.
He finished with 17 touches and three goals through the midfield and from full-forward.
"It's disappointing the way it's turned out this year, but I still feel that I have got my best footy in front of me for myself," Brown said.
"It (the leg) is just a week by week thing. Get towards the end of the year, rest it up and have a good pre-season.
"I feel the team, with the . . . young guys we are blooding, we are going to get better. It's a long road."
The journey will become easier if the likes of youngsters Will Thursfield, Luke McGuane, Nathan Foley, Jack Riewoldt, Brett Deledio and Richard Tambling develop quickly, but the jury is still out on the Tigers' recruiting in recent years.
Brown said the Tigers needed to learn to put opponents under greater pressure.
"It is disappointing - we are starting games well and playing good halves, but then we are falling away," he said. "Geelong is the benchmark. I was amazed at their pressure skills today. That's where we have to get.
"Our pressure skills are nowhere good enough. We have to take a leaf out of their book for next year and get our pressure skills as good as them.
"Every time we got the ball, we were under pressure, and that causes referred pressure, which causes turnovers."
The former Bulldog said coach Terry Wallace and Miller were the right men to help resurrect the club - a plan he wanted to be heavily involved in.
"I am a Tiger for life now," he said. "They have got me for as long as they want me.
"I am looking forward to this club rebuilding to where it needs to be."
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