Nathan Cleary v Matty Johns: The case for and against Dylan Brown’s Newcastle Knights move

The NRL’s best player and one of the game’s sharpest minds have differing opinions on Dylan Brown’s move to Newcastle. Nathan Cleary and Matty Johns reveal why they believe the signing will and won’t work.

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Legendary Knights five-eighth Matthew Johns has questioned Newcastle’s $13 million purchase of Dylan Brown, saying the Eels ace is not suited to running a team at halfback.

This masthead understands Knights coach Adam O’Brien will consider deploying boom utility back Fletcher Sharpe at halfback next season to enable Brown to wear the No.6 jumper he has owned at Parramatta.

It shapes as a monumental tactical move for the Knights given that Sharpe was only blooded last week at five-eighth and Brown will be in possession of the richest contract in NRL history in 2026.

By virtue of his record-breaking 10-year deal, it was widely expected that Brown would be Newcastle’s main man at halfback next season, but the Knights are happy to keep the Kiwi Test star at second receiver.

Johns, who engineered Newcastle’s first ever premiership in 1997 alongside champion brother Andrew, understands the pressures of scrumbase play and warned the Knights of the perils of giving Brown the No.7 jumper.

“Dylan is a six (five-eighth). That’s a fact,” Johns said on Fox Sports.

Matty Johns believes Dylan Brown will struggle if he plays halfback at the Knights. Picture: NRL Photos

“He can have a big impact on a game but to do that he needs someone alongside him to control a game.

“Dylan is an explosive player, he impacts a game through moments.

“He is not a seven - he is a six.

“His game is the game of a deputy, which most sixes are, they are deputies.

SCROLL DOWN FOR NATHAN CLEARY’S TAKE ON BROWN’S KNIGHTS MOVE

“At the moment, he is a reactive player, he is a deputy, he is a pure six.

“He is a hell of a good (five-eighth), but he’s not a seven.”

At five-eighth, Brown helped the Eels to the 2022 grand final but in a cameo role at halfback last year, he struggled to keep Parramatta’s season on track.

With Eels halfback Mitchell Moses sidelined by injury, Brown spent two months in the No.7 jumper, winning just one of eight games as Parramatta crashed to 15th and never recovered.

Knights hierarchy are confident a Brown-Sharpe scrumbase alliance will work.

Dylan Brown highlights 1

While he made his NRL debut as a fullback and winger last season, Sharpe played in the halves coming through the Knights’ lower grades and O’Brien will back him to pull the strings on Newcastle’s right edge.

That will enable Brown to operate on Newcastle’s left side at six, where he could forge a lethal partnership with superstar fullback Kalyn Ponga.

Former Queensland Origin playmaker Cooper Cronk, who excelled as a manufactured halfback at the Storm, said Brown failed to step up last year when Moses was injured.

“Every decision has consequences when you are a halfback,” Cronk said.

“Kick the ball three times (as a five-eighth) ... now all of a sudden it’s 15 times a game.

“One thing I will say is I was disappointed with what Dylan Brown delivered when Mitchell Moses was out last year.

“When a five-eighth has their main man (halfback) go down, it’s really good learning and development to wear the seven jumper and say, ‘Oh, that’s what the halfback does each week, when I go back to six I will bring that to my game’.

“Dylan moved to halfback and really didn’t do too much at Parramatta.

“As someone who loves watching Brown play, I thought that (going to halfback) would elevate his five-eighth play and understanding what Mitch goes through but it just didn’t have that impact.”

CLEARY: BROWN MOVE A MASTERSTROKE

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The NRL’s best player, Nathan Cleary, has backed Dylan Brown to thrive at halfback and form a lethal strike force with Kalyn Ponga at Newcastle after agreeing to the richest deal in rugby league history.

Penrith halfback superstar Cleary believes Brown’s move to the Knights is a masterstroke and will be great for fullback Ponga.

“One thing about his game that I really like is how square he plays. I think that will just open up so much room for Kalyn out the back, and I think him and Kalyn could really form a dynamic duo, and a really dangerous duo to come up against,” Cleary said.

“Him and Ponga are both very strong, both fast.”

Just hours after revealing the record-breaking $13 million deal, Cleary said it was “no surprise” Brown agreed to the 10-year-deal.

“I think it’s pretty hard to turn a deal down like that. It sets him and his future family up for life,” Cleary told 100% Footy.

Nathan Cleary has backed Dylan Brown to thrive at Newcastle. Picture: NRL Photos

Dylan Brown has signed the richest deal in NRL history with Newcastle. Picture: NRL Photos

Brown’s club swap is expected come with a positional change, with the Kiwi international to move from five-eighth to halfback with Fletcher Sharpe expected to be at No.6.

While some have been critical of Brown’s ability to control a team, the four-time premiership winner Cleary believes the Eels five-eighth’s running game is the most important attribute to his new team.

Cleary believes the Brown signing can be the start of a dynamic duo with Kalyn Ponga. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

“(Running) has to be your first line of thought,” Cleary said.

“Especially in big games, you sort of loose half the team in those back and forward games because everyone is so tired and fatigued.

“The runs become much more explosive, you’re going up against tired forwards so the fast guys, the smaller guys come into the game.”

Originally published as Nathan Cleary v Matty Johns: The case for and against Dylan Brown’s Newcastle Knights move