Hull FC star Nu Brown feared he'd never play rugby league again after injury
Nu Brown's gone from fearing his career was over to nilling world champions Australia and getting a Super League shot.
After an injury-blighted few years, the hooker could be forgiven for thinking he was destined for life in the NRL’s reserve grades. But a season with Championship part-timers Featherstone in 2021 got him kick-started. And after spells with Wests Tigers, Canterbury Bulldogs and Newcastle Knights, the 29-year-old is now back in the UK with Hull FC.
Brown, who made his New Zealand debut last autumn and featured in November’s record- breaking 30-0 Pacific Cup final win over the Kangaroos, told Mirror Online: “I didn’t think I was going to come back.
"I actually didn’t think I was going to play rugby league again. But Featherstone gave me the chance to return from a bad [foot] injury. I was out for a long time.
“So to just play rugby league again was a bonus, let alone NRL. I had some luck go my way to play NRL again and then to play internationally as well. But to get this opportunity to come to Super League, I now just want to take it with both hands.”
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Although most recently a No9, Brown is set to play stand-off for Hull when they launch the new season against Hull KR on February 15. And as the Black and Whites bid to bounce back after last year’s woeful tenth finish, he already knows all about the city’s famous derby. Brown, who signed a one-year deal, said: “There’s always a lot of pressure wherever you go.
“But the day after I arrived, I went to the shopping centre, was in Nandos and a lot of fans turned up. I was in the cubicle in the bathroom. Some lad turned up and said ‘good luck in round one, mate! There’s a lot of pressure on you!’ That was [pretty much] the first day I got here! I am excited: the local derby to open up the season, it’s a big thing.”
Fa'amanu Brown of New Zealand celebrates during the Pacific Championships Cup Grand Final (SWpix)Brown, who also suffered a serious knee injury, never quite cracked a regular NRL starting spot. But he hopes to remedy that with Tony Smith’s Hull. Brown said: “I see it as making up for lost time. I was out of the game for two and a half years so my body feels a bit more fresh. I’ve just turned 29 but feel 25 because of that time out.
“I know I need to play consistent, top-grade football. I’ve always believed in myself but never been able to show it consistently. Now I have that chance."
On his Kiwi experience, he added: "It’s something to cherish and something no one can take away from me. To put 30 points on the best team in the world and leave them scoreless...? That experience, rubbing shoulders with the elite players of New Zealand, is something I want to bring here: that winning mentality. Tony has got that. He’s come here to make a change in this club and hopefully I can help him do that.
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