Nathan Brown (Australian rules footballer)

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Nathan Brown

Personal information

Full name

Nathan Gordon Brown

Date of Birth

February 10, 1978 (age 30)

Place of Birth

Victoria

Recruited from

Bendigo Pioneers (VSFL)/Golden Square

Draft

10^th overall, 1996

Western Bulldogs

Height/Weight

182cm / 80kg

Position

Center Half Back/Center Half Forward

Club information

Current club

Richmond

Number

Playing Career¹

Years

Club

Games (Goals)

1997-2003
2004-
Total

Western Bulldogs

Richmond

137 (206)
51 (92)
188 (298)

¹ Club statistics to end of 2007 season

² Representative statistics to end of {{{repstatsend}}}

Career highlights
Morrish Medal winner 1996 All-Australian 2001, 2002 International Rules 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 Jim Stynes Medal 2004

For the Australian rules footballer with Melbourne, see Nathan D. Brown

For the Australian rules footballer with Collingwood, see Nathan J. Brown

For other people named Nathan Brown, most notably the St George Illawarra Dragons coach, see Nathan Brown.

Nathan Gordon Brown (born February 10, 1978 in Victoria) is an Australian rules footballer for the Richmond Tigers in the AFL.

Recruited from Golden Square and then Bendigo U18 to the Western Bulldogs in the AFL, Brown made a name for himself as a dangerous medium-sized forward.

He played with the Bulldogs from 1997 to 2003, and left the club after a more lucrative contract was offered by Richmond.

In 2005 Brown continued to perform for the Tigers, due to the Tigers new coach Terry Wallace taking over, and put in a string of match-winning performances in the early part of the season, including a sensational last-quarter burst against Collingwood in Round 8, where Richmond turned a 10-point deficit into a 35-point victory, thanks to Brown's 5 last-quarter goals. The following week against Brisbane, Brown added 4 goals to be one of the match winners along with Shane Tuck. With Richmond sitting in the top 4, with 7 wins and 2 losses following a rare interstate win, Brown proclaimed that the Tigers would now be aiming to consolidate their place in the top 4 in 2005. Brown being a key player, booting 32 goals in his 9 appearances to that stage.

[edit] Season-ending leg injury, 2005

Richmond were already in enough trouble when the Tigers entered the final term trailing by 32 points. As the ball went into Richmond's attacking 50, Nathan G Brown launched an attempted left-foot kick when Melbourne Demons defender Matthew Whelan dived across him in a legitimate attempt to smother the ball. Brown's right foot became stuck on the Telstra Dome surface and tilted a bit to the right. Replays of the incident on the big Telstra Dome screen and on news highlights shocked many viewers, even to the intent that it made Channel Ten presenter Robert Walls turn off his TV. Many fainted or were disgusted following his injury. Richmond lost the game by 57 points, and would only record three more wins in 2005, against the Sydney Swans and Essendon in rounds 14 and 15, and a late-gasp win over Hawthorn in round 21.

Brown had a titanium rod inserted into his tibia, and underwent extensive therapy and rehabilitation training over the following pre-season. Brown returned to the field for a clash with his old club the Western Bulldogs in late-March, which Richmond lost by 115 points, the first of three century losses Richmond suffered in 2006. The latter, a 103-point loss to St. Kilda in round 17, spelled the end of Brown for 2006 as he suffered a hamstring strain during the match. Brown encountered complications from his broken leg early in 2007 and ruled him out for the first half of the season.

[edit] 2007-

With Richmond languishing at the bottom of the ladder, Brown did not play a match at senior level until Round 12. He returned in a 49 point win over Melbourne (the first for the Tigers season), kicking 3 goals in the process.

Brown is due to play a 200th game in 2008, ironically it will be against Melbourne at the Telstra Dome, the same team and venue of his infamous broken leg.