Newcastle Knights set to offer coach Nathan Brown a five-year contract extension

FOLLOWING the Knights’ stunning start to the season, Newcastle CEO Phil Gardner wants Nathan Brown to become the longest-serving coach in the club’s history.

The Knights are ready to put their faith in Nathan Brown. (Peter Lorimer)

NEWCASTLE CEO Phil Gardner wants Nathan Brown to become the longest-serving coach in the club’s history.

Gardner also believes that Brown boasts the coaching qualities and temperament to challenge the records of supercoaches Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy for spending the most seasons at one club.

Gardner revealed a negotiation plan to extend the 44-year-old’s current contract by a further three to five years.

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The Knights are ready to put their faith in Nathan Brown. (Peter Lorimer)

Brown’s initial contract which he signed when joining the Knights in 2016 expires at the end of this season.

Newcastle’s stunning fortnight of success to start the season has prompted questions from fans about why Brown remains unsigned.

But Gardner, who became CEO after Wests Group’s acquisition of the Knights in August, not only declared he hopes to announce Brown’s re-signing by the end of next month, he explained why the club’s leadership strategy was far removed from any previous management of the club.

The club is riding high early this season. (Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

“This club has had a history under (Nathan) Tinkler and the National Rugby League - they’ve not been owners with a long-term view and that players would trust to know what is going to happen,’’ Gardner said.

“So we’ve got to change that. And you start with your key people, which is your coach.

“I learnt a lot from Brian Smith and Wayne Bennett (previous coaches) because they brought their own systems with them. They wanted to come in and pull everything apart with their own people.

“It didn’t work. Because when they go, their people go with them and it’s this whole mercenary attitude.

Brown finally has the money to invest in quality players. (Brett Costello)

“You can’t base your whole business on people who are going to come and go. Their loyalty is not towards the club or the region.

“What we’re attempting to do here is to make it so that we’re a business based on integrity, a business based on belief and honesty.

“Nathan’s loyalty is here. We’d like to give Nathan a longer tenure, rather than a shorter tenure. We think he’s fantastic, not only as a coach but as a person.

“Nathan and his family are going to commit to the town and we’re going to commit to them.

“Our intention with Nathan is we’d like him to be not only the longest-serving coach of the Knights, but maybe he could end up being the longest serving one-team coach in the history of the game.’’

Kalyn Ponga already looks the player Newcastle hoped he was. (Tony Feder/Getty Images)

It’s a glowing endorsement from Gardner given Bellamy has coached Melbourne for the past 16 consecutive seasons, while Bennett led Brisbane for 21 consecutive seasons from 1988 to 2008.

In his third season with Newcastle and with 50 games under his belt, Brown is on target to surpass former premiership-winning coach Michael Hagan, who holds the record for most games coached at the Knights with 155 matches over six seasons.

Brown could lead a golden time for Newcastle. (Phil Hillyard)

Asked if negotiations with Brown’s agent George Mimis included a new contract lenghth of over three years, Gardner said: “Possibly.

“If I’m a CEO of a company and I want to buy a house and raise kids and do all those sorts of things, I would like a five-year contract.

“In my working career, the majority of my contracts have been five-year contracts, with a whole range of performance criteria.

“Somewhere around all that, you’d like to give people some certainty around tenure. We think a little bit differently up here in Newcastle.

“It’s about integrity, it’s about being honest and keeping your word — the simple stuff.

“Nathan fits the bill for all of that. It’s all good will on all parts. There’s no reason why I don’t think we’ll have this done soon.

“The performance of the team certainly isn’t hurting Nathan. That said, Nathan isn’t using any of that - he’s very realistic.

“He’s a champion. He’s taken my word that we’re going to get this done.’’

Originally published as Newcastle Knights set to offer coach Nathan Brown a five-year contract extension