Nathan Brown Biography

Nathan Brown may have played his last game after deciding to leave St Kilda's Noosa hub to return to Victoria.

"Footy is a big part of their life but it's not their life, families are, and he wanted to be around his family and his girls and he's a star of our footy club," St Kilda coach Brett Ratten said.

"He's such a good person and that was his desire. We've said, 'No worries, mate, if you need to do that for yourself, that's fine', so he's headed home."

On the eve of his 250th game, Shane Edwards reflects on his first day at Richmond.

"I came from North Adelaide, which was a really modern SANFL club. When I rocked up to Richmond, while I can't really remember what I expected, the facilities weren't actually as good as what I came from," Edwards told AFL.com.au.

"It was historic. Now, I appreciate what it looked like and what it had been through, but there was possum poo on the floor of the gym, the weights were uneven, things were just really old.

"It surprised me what state the club was in both financially and from a facility point of view. But that's one per cent of my first impression, everything else was about, 'oh my god, I just met 'Richo' (Matthew Richardson), Nathan Brown and Kane Johnson'."

Nathan Brown will miss the remainder of the 2018 season after he was suspended for three games for his bump that concussed Essendon speedster Adam Saad.

"I wholeheartedly accept the findings of the Tribunal tonight and thank them for their time," Brown said.

"Again, I apologise to Adam and his family. Hopefully he can take the field for Essendon this week."

Nathan Brown signs a new deal with St Kilda to remain at St Kilda in 2019.

A reinvigorated Nathan Brown says his move to St Kilda was the "kick up the bum" his career needed.

"I think for me it was the right time. Being somewhere for 11 years, you get used to something and get into a habit, but the change when I came across, I was like a young player again," Brown said.

"It's given me the kick up the bum I needed at this time in my career to go again, elevate again, and get something more out of my career in terms of football.

"I don’t regret the decision at all, the club has been very welcoming to me so I'm very happy with where I am."

Renewing his relationship with St Kilda coach Alan Richardson played a big part in Nathan Brown's decision to join the Saints.

"I'm absolutely stoked to be continuing my journey with Alan," Brown said.

"I had a chat to him the other night and it felt like I was an 18-year-old again sitting in his office, planning out next season.

"The feeling was all positive, I believe I've got some more growing to do in my career, and I believe Alan Richardson is the man to do that for me.

"It does excite me, they've got a young list with some exceptional leaders as players.

"It feels like a place full of confidence at the moment so I'm excited to be a part of their journey."

Collingwood has received no compensation for losing restricted free agent Nathan Brown to St Kilda.

The AFL said that the 27-year-old's age and length of contract were the reasons behind no compensation being awarded.

Nathan Brown becomes a Saint after accepting a free agency offer of a two-year deal from St Kilda.

"His ability to hold down a key defensive post makes him an attractive prospect for where our list is currently placed," St Kilda chief operating officer Ameet Bains said.

"In addition to his experience and leadership on the field, Nathan is a terrific person off the field and we look forward to him joining our ranks."

Nathan Brown says he wants to concentrate on football for the next month rather than worry about his contract.

"This time [two] years ago when I was out of contract as well, I don't think I signed until the very last minute ... so that is still the approach," Brown said.

"I just want to focus on doing my role for the team and playing out the season strongly."

Collingwood adds Taylor Adams and Brent Macaffer to its five-man leadership group.

The duo join skipper Scott Pendlebury along with Steele Sidebottom and Nathan Brown in the group.

Nathan Brown never envisioned himself as a leader at the Magpies, but he says having that responsibility thrust upon him two years ago has given him a fresh perspective on football.

"I came to the club a pretty quiet guy, a pretty shy guy and you get to that age where the list turns over and there's a new feeling around the club and you suddenly become one of the oldest at the club," Brown said.

"So you get thrust into this leadership role and the last two years I've been in the leadership group and I've really enjoyed it.

"You have to learn to adapt and keep changing the way you fight for your spot, the way you play and the way you teach others below you.

"I've really enjoyed that and I'm looking to expand on it further for the rest of my career."

Nathan Brown says he's ready to take greater responsibility of Collingwood's backline in 2015 after Nick Maxwell's retirement and the expected move of Lachlan Keeffe to attack.

"[Maxwell's retirement] has given me the all-clear to take over the backline and lead there, which in turn will make me a better player," Brown said.

"We do have a young group and the backline has been fantastic this pre-season and (there is) a real competitive nature every training session against the forward group.

"It's been great and they've been really great to work with."

Scott Pendlebury will again captain the Magpies in 2015, supported by a streamlined leadership group that includes Travis Cloke, Steele Sidebottom, Nathan Brown and the newly promoted Tyson Goldsack.

Lachlan Keeffe and Clinton Young have stepped down as leaders this year.

"They're five very strong leaders, they're all premiership players and they all know what it takes to get there," Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said.

"We want to get back into finals and clearly that's the ambition of all these boys.

"When the players went through the selection process there was a fairly clear delineation between the top five and the rest.

"We feel that we've really developed our leadership over the last couple of years and the vindication of that is the strength of this leadership group, even with players like Luke Ball and Nick Maxwell moving on from the football club."

After an injury-ravaged 2014 season, Nathan Brown has his sights on round one in 2015.

"I'll be heavily taping my shoulder for the rest of my career but the shoulder's really good and the surgeon's done really well with that so I'm feeling really confident in it," Brown said.

"They've basically screwed it in so it's not coming out anymore, which is good.

"I have complete faith in it and I'll be my usual self come round one."

Nathan Brown will miss the rest of the 2014 season after it was confirmed he will have shoulder surgery later this week.

"After meeting with the surgeon today it's been decided he'll have an operation later in the week," Magpies football manager Rodney Eade said.

"So that will be the rest of the year for him. That will be a 16-week recovery."

Collingwood will decide if luckless defender Nathan Brown undergoes potentially season-ending shoulder surgery after suffering a repeat of his round-two dislocation on Saturday.

Brown sustained the injury in the first quarter of the Magpies' eight-point win over West Coast at the MCG and was subbed out at quarter time.

"We need to let the dust settle on that, but clearly it is unfortunate for 'Browny' - we need to give him time to let it heal and then work out what we are going to do from here," Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said.

"Any time you dislocate your shoulder you are potentially looking at [surgery].

"He got through the 2010 season with a dislocated shoulder early in the year and then was able to play the year out; it is just a matter of understanding the damage and then making decisions based on the facts."

Ben Reid, Steele Sidebottom and Nathan Brown sign new deals with Collingwood. Reid's deal will keep him at the Magpies until the end of 2016 while Sidebottom and Brown are committed until the end of 2016.

"The trio have proven themselves to be accomplished performers over a sustained period, with their conduct on and off the field earning them the right to be regarded as senior players, and in the case of Steele and Nathan, a place in our leadership group," Collingwood director of football Rodney Eade said.

"Nathan, Ben and Steele are highly valued by their peers and the club's coaching staff, and we are confident they are each capable of playing their best football in the coming seasons."

Collingwood has lost key defender Nathan Brown for up to five weeks with a dislocated shoulder, but the AFL club says the lay-off is better than expected.

Scans on Monday revealed a positive outcome for Brown and the Magpies, meaning he has avoided the worst-case scenario of surgery and up to three months on the sidelines.

"I think it was the best news we could have hoped for," Magpies football manager Rodney Eade said.

"It'll probably be four to five weeks (out), we've got to get the swelling down in his shoulder joint but we're reasonably confident that that's a pretty good result for us."

Nathan Brown signs a new three-year deal to remain at Collingwood until the end of 2016.

Nathan Brown reveals that Gold Coast made a tempting offer to him at the end of 2011 which he subsequently rejected.

"I'm not going to lie, I did consider it and it did cross my mind," Brown said.

"I made a decision at the end of that year that I was fully committed to Collingwood and the guys that we had and I knew we were going to push really hard in the next couple of years for a premiership."

Nathan Brown says defenders will adapt after an increase in the number of free kicks being paid to forwards recently.

"The free kicks - hands in the back and the chop of the hands - are being called a little easier. You don't have to do much to get it called against you," Brown said.

"You almost have to say to a defender that sometimes instead of thinking about your man, you might have to go for the ball yourself.

"You can get angry about it, but realistically it is not going to change. You have to adapt and beat the system the other way."

Nathan Brown expresses frustration at his brother Mitchell Brown struggling to get games at the Eagles and says he wouldn't mind having him home in Melbourne.

"I want to see my brother play AFL footy, because I know he's good enough," he said.

"He knows that he has to play back in the WAFL when he doesn't get a chance, and I think the last two weeks he's got best on ground for two games.

"We'll see what happens, but I wouldn't mind him back in Melbourne just to hang out with my mate, so I wouldn't be too unhappy if he did come home."

Nathan Brown is wishing twin brother Mitch well when they face each other on the weekend at the MCG which will mark only the second time in six years that their parents will be able to watch both brothers play on the same field.

"We're all at the 'G in one place, which is good for them," Nathan said.

"Hopefully I'll come across him on the field. I hope he has a real good game. It's his first game back in a while and he's been playing good footy.

"As much as I want to beat West Coast, I hope Mitch has a good game."

Collingwood defender Nathan Brown has avoided serious injury to his left knee and will miss just two to four weeks with a left medial ligament strain.

Magpie Nathan Brown reveals the doubts and frustrations that plagued his 18 months out of the game due to knee injuries and surgeries.

You have some weeks in rehab where you don't want to be there. You try and do something and it hurts and you feel terrible, and feel so far away from being able to play again, let alone at an elite level," Brown said.

"But, there were a lot of great times too, and a lot of learning.

"Yes, I missed playing footy and playing in another Grand Final but what I've learnt in the last 18 months is something so valuable that I'll hold dearly for the rest of my career and the rest of my life."

As Collingwood defender Nathan Brown recovers from an ACL injury due to a training mishap in Arizona, he expresses empathy for those missing out on selection for the 2011 Grand Final.

"It's been a year that's gone pretty quick, so I sort of know what these fringe guys are actually going through," Brown said.

"It is a tough time and a roller coaster time. It's something that I know, looking back on it now, I don't look upon as a negative. It's something that I've bottled to help me with the rest of my career."

Collingwood defender Nathan Brown says the 15-hour flight home from the US helped him get over the anger he felt after injuring his knee.

"Things happen and no matter how bad, angry or frustrated you feel about it, you can never get it back," he said.

"I'll never be able to go back on that trail and walk the other way around instead of slipping and cracking this.

"I've got to get on with what I've got to do now and it's just another challenge in my career that I'll just get back and learn from and take experiences from and I'll become a better person from it."

Collingwood's Nathan Brown will miss the rest of the season after injuring his knee cap in the US.

"It could have easily happened back home at training. He has had a bit of a setback but his ACL (on his previously injured left knee) is coming on extremely well," Collingwood sports science director David Buttifant said.

Nathan Brown's season looks to be over after he injured his knee cap during a hike while during Collingwood's midseason trip to Arizona.

Collingwood defender Nathan Brown says former Saint and now Magpies defence coach Max Hudghton played a big role in helping him shut down St Kilda superstar Nick Riewoldt during their recent match ups.

"He said that he had never played on him in a game, but he had spent 12 years playing with him in training and practice matches," Brown told the Herald Sun.

"He gave me confidence to back myself because, as a young player against a superstar, it can be frightening, especially on the Grand Final stage."

Collingwood's Nathan Brown could play again this year as he makes a speedy recovery from a knee reconstruction.

"When he had his op in February, the surgeon, Julian Feller, said the aim was to get him back playing before the year was out so we've always had that as a goal," Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh said.

"With his progress to date - even though we're still a fair way away from pinpointing an exact [return] day - there's been nothing to derail those thoughts. He's moving along nicely."

Injured Collingwood defender Nathan Brown will spend his year out of the game learning the basics of coaching.

"I'm going to use this year and turn it into a massive positive, because that's all I can do," Brown said.

"I can't dwell on it; it's happened now, I've done my knee and I'm out for the year. I'm going to get something out of it and use it as a year to expand my knowledge of the game."

Collingwood's Tyson Goldsack sees the season ending injury to Nathan Brown as the perfect opportunity for a younger player like Lachlan Keeffe to step up.

"It's definitely not a good thing for Browny but it does open up opportunities for other people," Goldsack said.

"We've got Lachie Keeffe coming through the ranks as well so hopefully he can kinda fill in when he needs to, and hopefully he can play every game, I'm not ruling it out."

Collingwood defender Nathan Brown is expected to undergo a traditional knee reconstruction rather than radical LARS surgery.

"I'm a bit bemused by the LARS surgery because the media have picked up on this new technique over the last 12 months - that is the biggest question with knee reconstructions these days," Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said.

"After consultation with the experts we will go down the path of the normal reconstructions our surgeons have conducted in the past, and will conduct in the forseeable future, based on their expert opinion."

Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Brown ruptured an ACL at training in what is a significant blow to the club's premiership defence.

Omitted Collingwood defenders Tyson Goldsack and Nathan Brown philosophical after being dropped ahead of the biggest game of the season - the 2010 Grand Final.

"It's my fault for not stringing enough games together and getting the form I'd like going into the finals," Goldsack said.

"The coaches have to the do the job and pick the best team to win the game. This year, I played some good games here and there; just not enough to seal my spot."

"Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a massive team man and team player. I always have [been], always will be ... so it's not about me and it never has been," Brown said.

"It's about the team and it's about Collingwood and it's about the 22 other blokes out there on the park. That's all that matters to me."

Anthony Rocca has been brought into the Collingwood squad for Sunday's qualifying final against St Kilda, replacing Nathan Brown.

Collingwood expects Nathan Brown to recover in time to face the Sydney Swans despite the key defender playing for less than a quarter of his side's Queen's Birthday win over Melbourne.

"There's just a bit of bleeding from his quad down into the knee capsule but our docs are fairly confident that with the week off he should be right for selection for the Swans game," Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh said.

Nathan Brown has sung the praises of teammate Simon Prestigiacomo, saying the Magpies defence is reinvigorated by his form.

"I'm really happy to be playing with Simon," he said.

"He's such a great player and person to be around, especially for myself personally and the team and the backline.

"He's got so much experience, and it comes across he's a really quiet bloke but he's just got so much wisdom to give to the team, especially to me."

Richmond star Nathan Brown has told of an off-season health scare that threatened his eyesight.

Richmond forward Nathan Brown has warned not to expect Ben Cousins to be the magic catalyst for a tilt at the finals this season.