The Wests Tigers have finally paid the price for not playing utility back Mitch Brown with the Gymea junior signing with the Canterbury Bulldogs for the remainder of the season.
It would sting just a little more today after it was confirmed Tigers fullback James Tedesco would miss the entire 2012 season.
Brown will join his new club on Tuesday where he will train at Belmore for the first time.
One of the most underrated players in the National Rugby League, Brown will add even more depth to an already experienced Canterbury backline.
Hey may not walk straight into the starting side, but all Brown wants is a shot. A chance to play in the NRL and perform. To secure his spot and his future.
With Tedesco out, Brown just may have got the nod from Tigers coach Tim Sheens. But Brown couldn’t wait any longer and requested a release long before Tedesco crumbled into the Leichhardt Oval turf on Sunday.
Bulldogs coach Des Hasler knows exactly what he is getting from Brown. “Mitch is a very experienced player who will bring added depth to our squad,” Hasler said.
“I’m very much looking forward to working with him.”
Sheens’ loss is naturally Hasler’s gain. For a man of only 24 years of age, it feels like Brown has been floating around the NRL forever. The former Australian schoolboy played 41 games for the Cronulla Sharks where he debuted as an 18-year-old in 2006.
Brown began to make his mark in 2010 at the Tigers when injury to Tim Moltzen saw him play 20 games for the club which included three finals games.
He played another 20 last year when injury once again hampered superstars Chris Lawrence and Lote Tuquri. But for some reason, Brown was never really in the fight for the fullback spot this year at Wests.
The lanky utility had to go.
“The Bulldogs are a professional club, they are a family club, that’s what really sold it to me,” Brown said.
“The opportunity to learn under Des Hasler was of course another major selling point.”
“I learned a lot working under Tim Sheens at the Tigers and Des has got a slightly different approach. I’m looking forward to learning as much as I possibly can from him.”
It has been obvious so far that Brown has been an expendable commodity.
The coach that gives Brown a real crack at the big time will reap the benefits that the likes of Tim Sheens clearly missed out on.
The Tigers loss is the Bulldogs’ gain.
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