Nathan Brown (rugby league footballer)
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Nathan Brown is a former rugby league player and currently the coach of the St George Illawarra Dragons which compete in the National Rugby League. His primary position was hooker.
Brown played in the 1993 and 1996 Grand Finals for the St. George Dragons, and the 1999 Grand Final for the newly-formed St George Illawarra Dragons; however he was never on the winning side, beaten by Brisbane, Manly and Melbourne, respectively. He was forced to retire following a neck injury in 2001.
Brown was appointed coach of the Dragons for the 2003 season. After finishing second in the 2005 competition, his team lost the preliminary final to the eventual premiers, Wests Tigers. In 2006, the Dragons embarked on a finals campaign in which they would play their previous grand final opponents (Brown was in all of them, except 1992), starting with the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. The Dragons lost 14-6 in the 1993 Grand Final, but, in 2006, won 20-4 to march on to week 2. The following week they played the Manly Sea Eagles, who defeated the Dragons in the 1996 Grand Final. The Dragons won 28-0. The following week they played the Melbourne Storm. The Storm had beaten the Dragons in a controversial grand final which saw Craig Smith (Melbourne Storm winger playing his last game) score a penalty try after Dragons winger Jamie Ainscough had tackled him high. The rematch saw the Dragons lose 24-10 and bow out of season 2006.
The Dragons will arguably go through a huge rebuilding period, losing many players to rival clubs, or overseas.
Preceded by: Andrew Farrar 2000-2002 |
Coach St George Illawarra Dragons 2003- |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |