Nathan Gregory Brown (born 10 February 1978) is a radio and television football commentator and a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er for

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

in the

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

. 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. Nathan Brown played tennis growing up, and he is known for defeating former Australian tennis professional

Peter Luczak Peter Luczak (, ; born 31 August 1979) is a retired professional tennis player from Australia. His career-high ATP singles ranking was World No. 64, achieved in October 2009. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, Luczak won the Gold i ...

6–3 6–4 on grass in a Warrnambool Under-16s tournament. Recruited from

Golden Square Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and so ...

and then the

Bendigo Pioneers The Bendigo Pioneers is an Australian rules football team in the statewide Victorian under-18s league, the Talent League. History The Bendigo Pioneers is an Australian rules football team playing in Talent League since 1993 based in Bendigo, Vic ...

in the

TAC Cup The Talent League (also known as the Coates Talent League under naming rights and previously as the NAB League and TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition based in Melbourne and run by the Australian Foot ...

to the

in the

, 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.

Richmond playing career

Having been part of the

side that took out the wooden spoon in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, Brown's first season at Richmond did not see any improvement, as the Tigers went on to finish last in 2004 after losing their final fourteen games of the season. In 2005, Brown continued to perform for the Tigers, partly due to his former coach at the Western Bulldogs,

Terry Wallace Terry Wallace (born 13 December 1958) is a former professional Australian rules football player and coach. As a player, his career spanned three VFL/AFL clubs; most notably Hawthorn where he played in three premierships. After one season with ...

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 five last-quarter goals. The following week against

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Brown added four 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 , 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 Docklands Stadium, known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the suburb of Docklands in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was completed ...

surface and tilted a bit to the right. The injury even sickened media personality

Robert Walls Robert Walls (21 July 1950 – 15 May 2025) was an Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. In a playing career that spanned three decades, Walls played a combined 2 ...

, 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. Brown had a

titanium Titanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

rod inserted into his tibia, and underwent extensive therapy and rehabilitation training over the following pre-season. Despite this, Brown would suffer further complications from his broken leg, among other injuries, eventually leading to his retirement at the end of the 2009 season. In 2007, with Richmond languishing at the bottom of the ladder, Brown did not play a match at senior level until Round 12, when Richmond defeated Melbourne by 49 points for its first win of the season, with Brown kicking three goals. Brown played his 200th game against at

in Round 12, 2008. Richmond won this match by 22 points.

Retirement

In November 2009, Brown announced his retirement from the AFL. He stated that there was interest from other clubs to pick him up, although he believed a persistent groin injury would not stand up to another season of AFL football.

Post AFL Career

In 2013, Brown made a one-off guest appearance for the

North Launceston Football Club The North Launceston Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is an Australian rules football club based in the Tasmanian city of Launceston. The club will compete in the Northern Tasmanian Football Association (NTFA) in 2025. History The club ...

in the TSL.

Statistics

: , - , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 14 , , 10 , , 11 , , 107 , , 35 , , 142 , , 34 , , 7 , , 0.7 , , 0.8 , , 7.6 , , 2.5 , , 10.1 , , 2.4 , , 0.5 , , 3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 12 , , 6 , , 5 , , 120 , , 68 , , 188 , , 38 , , 8 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 10.0 , , 5.7 , , 15.7 , , 3.2 , , 0.7 , , 2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 22 , , 19 , , 14 , , 225 , , 110 , , 335 , , 81 , , 17 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 10.2 , , 5.0 , , 15.2 , , 3.7 , , 0.8 , , 7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 23 , , 26 , , 13 , , 332 , , 210 , , 542 , , 128 , , 22 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 14.4 , , 9.1 , , 23.6 , , 5.6 , , 1.0 , , 2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 22 , , 32 , , 29 , , 318 , , 147 , , 465 , , 117 , , 30 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , 14.5 , , 6.7 , , 21.1 , , 5.3 , , 1.4 , , 7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 22 , , 57 , , 24 , , 289 , , 110 , , 399 , , 123 , , 21 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , 13.1 , , 5.0 , , 18.1 , , 5.6 , , 1.0 , , 13 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 22 , , 56 , , 51 , , 245 , , 88 , , 333 , , 122 , , 29 , , 2.5 , , 2.3 , , 11.1 , , 4.0 , , 15.1 , , 5.5 , , 1.3 , , 5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 7 , , 20 , , 26 , , 28 , , 341 , , 126 , , 467 , , 93 , , 40 , , 1.3 , , 1.4 , , 17.1 , , 6.3 , , 23.4 , , 4.7 , , 2.0 , , 8 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 7 , , 10 , , 34 , , 19 , , 149 , , 53 , , 202 , , 66 , , 10 , , 3.4 , , 1.9 , , 14.9 , , 5.3 , , 20.2 , , 6.6 , , 1.0 , , 7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 7 , , 10 , , 11 , , 17 , , 93 , , 28 , , 121 , , 53 , , 9 , , 1.1 , , 1.7 , , 9.3 , , 2.8 , , 12.1 , , 5.3 , , 0.9 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 7 , , 11 , , 21 , , 14 , , 131 , , 43 , , 174 , , 70 , , 21 , , 1.9 , , 1.3 , , 11.9 , , 3.9 , , 15.8 , , 6.4 , , 1.9 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 7 , , 18 , , 35 , , 21 , , 249 , , 119 , , 368 , , 111 , , 31 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , 13.8 , , 6.6 , , 20.4 , , 6.2 , , 1.7 , , 3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 7 , , 13 , , 16 , , 11 , , 148 , , 84 , , 232 , , 62 , , 24 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 11.4 , , 6.5 , , 17.8 , , 4.8 , , 1.8 , , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 219 ! 349 ! 257 ! 2747 ! 1221 ! 3968 ! 1098 ! 269 ! 1.6 ! 1.2 ! 12.5 ! 5.6 ! 18.1 ! 5.0 ! 1.2 ! 57

Media career

In 2010, Brown joined '' The Sunday Footy Show'' as a regular panellist. Up until 2014, Brown worked for

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...

as an expert commentator for Saturday night matches alongside Barry Denner, Mark Howard and Ash Chua. He rejoined the station in 2016 as a Friday night commentator and calling one of the Saturday games. In 2014, Brown joined rival radio station 3AW as a ball-by-ball commentator for Saturday night and Sunday twilight matches. In October 2014, Brown was appointed sport presenter on ''

Weekend Today Weekend editions of '' Today'', an American morning news and talk program that airs daily on NBC, began with the launch of the Sunday edition of the program on September 20, 1987. After NBC expanded ''Today'' to seven days a week in the 1990s ...

'', replacing Tim Gilbert. Brown is a brand ambassador for

Sportsbet Sportsbet is an online gambling company owned by Flutter Entertainment, primarily targeting the Australian market. Founded in Darwin, Northern Territory, Sportsbet is licensed as a corporate bookmaker in the Northern Territory under the ''Raci ...

, appearing regularly in the media to cover AFL odds. In April 2024, Brown made his boxing debut against fellow former AFL footballer

Kane Cornes Kane Graham Cornes (born 5 January 1983) is a sports journalist, commentator and former Australian rules footballer who played for Port Adelaide in the Australian Football League (AFL). Known primarily as a tagger, Cornes is a four-time John C ...

in an exhibition boxing match in Adelaide. Brown won by unanimous decision in the four-round fight.

Gambling

Brown's affiliation with Sportsbet and his delivery of odds and tips in television advertisements for the company has been criticised. Brown’s tips have been shown to be largely unsuccessful by social media account @TrackMyBrown, which noted his tips were down $853 nearing the end of the 2024 season, assuming $20 stakes. Brown also co-hosts Sportsbet’s ''In The Back Pocket'' podcast.

Personal life

Brown is married to Kristine Fabiyanic and they have three daughters and a son.

Achievements and honours

Morrish Medal The Morrish Medal is an award presented to the best and fairest player in the premier Victorian underage Australian rules football competition during the home-and-away season. Boasting an uninterrupted lineage from 1947 onwards, the medal is cu ...

winner 1996 *

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...

2001, 2002 *

International Rules Series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team ...

2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 (

Jim Stynes Medal The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football International rules football (; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a ...

2004) *

100 Tiger Treasures The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers or colloquially the Tiges, is a professional Australian rules football team competing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Founded in 1885 in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, the club comp ...

"''Goal of the Century''" Nominee (2008)

References

External links

Nathan Brown profile
on the Official AFL Website of the Richmond Football Club * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Nathan 1978 births Living people Western Bulldogs players Richmond Football Club players All-Australians (AFL) Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Bendigo Pioneers players Golden Square Football Club players North Launceston Football Club players Australia international rules football team players