Centre of the most talked about signings in NRL history, Dylan Brown has a mountain of pressure to deliver for the Newcastle Knights after inking a mammoth 10-year deal.
All eyes will be on Brown ahead of the Knights’ season opener in Las Vegas next year, but it’s now been revealed that he won’t even have a full preseason to prepare.
According to the Daily Telegraph, New Zealand Kiwis coach Stacey Jones will be selecting Brown to play in the Pacific Championships, which will eat into Brown’s offseason.
“Dylan’s a world-class player and he was a massive part of the 2023 success and obviously the injury last year kept him out,” Jones confirmed.
“He’s a big part of this Kiwis group.”
Jones highlighted how important it is for his men to don the Kiwis’ logo, which could be more of a priority to Brown than a full preseason with the Knights.
“For me, we put the Kiwi jersey as the pinnacle for us,” Jones admitted.
“We’ve just got to put our best foot forward and I know Dylan loves being around this space.”
Brown is eligible for a little over two months of annual leave, which begins in mid-September, before he is required to report to the Kiwis on October 12.
The star playmaker is expected to then use his annual through until the middle of December, following the Pacific Championships’ conclusion.
Pair that with the fact that the Knights will have a shorter preseason as-is due to their inclusion in the Vegas opener in 2026, and you’ll find that Brown has very little time to form a genuine connection with key spine members like Kalyn Ponga and Fletcher Sharpe before they take the field together.
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