Nathan Brown | |||
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Photographed in April 2011
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Personal information | |||
Full name | Nathan Gordon Brown | ||
Date of birth | 10 February 1978 | ||
Place of birth | Victoria | ||
Original team(s) | Bendigo Pioneers (TAC Cup)/Golden Square | ||
Draft | 10th overall, 1996 Western Bulldogs |
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Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||
Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Half Forward Flank | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Retired | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
1997–2003 | Western Bulldogs | 137 (206) | |
2004–2009 | Richmond | 82 (143) | |
Total | 219 (349) | ||
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 22 2009.
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Career highlights | |||
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Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
Nathan Gordon Brown (born 10 February 1978) is a radio and television football commentator and a former Australian rules footballer for Richmond and the Western Bulldogs in the AFL. He played a total of 219 senior AFL matches and kicked 349 goals. His playing career ended after Richmond told him at the end of 2009, that he would no longer be required as a player.
Recruited from Golden Square and then the Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup 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. At the time the Western Bulldogs had asked many of their high profile players to take pay cuts to support the team financially.
In 2005 Brown continued to perform for the Tigers, partly due to his former coach at the Western Bulldogs, 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. In this game, 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. By this point, Richmond were firmly entrenched in the top four with a 7-2 win-loss record, and Brown had kicked 32 goals.
However, in Round 10 against Melbourne, Brown broke his leg attempting a left-foot kick as Melbourne 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. The injury even sickened media personality Robert Walls, who was watching the match on television, to the extent that he had to turn off his television. Richmond lost the game by 57 points, and would only record three more wins thereafter to finish in 12th place on the ladder.