Todd Carney, Mitchell Pearce offer Dylan Brown advice before move

The former Dally M medallist and one-time Newcastle halfback are supportive of the Eels five-eighth’s $10m switch, but say he has a lot to prove.

Parramatta’s Dylan Brown has been backed to succeed at the Knights. Picture: Getty Images

Former Dally M medallist and NSW State of Origin five-eighth Todd Carney and his one-time halves partner Mitchell Pearce have backed Dylan Brown to succeed in his big-money move to Newcastle – but just aren’t sure which of the two positions he should play.

Parramatta No.6 Brown agreed to a $13m, 10-year deal with the Knights last week, however, for that sort of money it is expected the club will want him to move to halfback.

“It’s a big name for the club. They’re always chasing a big-name half. Obviously their pedigree is Andrew Johns and they always chase something (similar),” Carney said. “Is he a No.7? I don’t think so yet. It may take time.

“The way Kaylan Ponga played the other night (against the Dolphins), I look at that and he (Brown) will take a lot of the load off him. Once the team starts to understand how he plays, they’ll complement each other.”

‘Nice change of pace’

Pearce, who played 71 games over four seasons for the Knights after spending the majority of his NRL career at Sydney Roosters, has some advice for Brown, 24, on moving from Sydney to the Hunter region.

“When I went up there it was a nice change of pace. They love their footy up there. They get right behind the team. There’s plenty of support for him. He’ll love it,” Pearce said.

“I think when you’re going into a new role and you’ve got a bit of pressure on you, you have to work your way into success.

“It’s the only way to do it, and he knows that. He’s a super player, and I’ll be backing him all the way.”

Former NRL stars Mitchel Pearce and Todd Carney on Saturday at Reborn gym in the Sydney suburb of Caringbah. Picture: Encore Collective

“He’s stuck there for a decade’

Carney, who had a decade-long NRL career with Canberra, the Roosters and Cronulla, said if he were offered a similar deal to Brown at the same stage of his career, he wouldn’t have hesitated to sign on.

But he is concerned with the length of the contract.

“If you give me a 10-year offer at $13m to leave Canberra when I was a kid, I’d do it 100 per cent,” Carney said.

“That’s the game, and the game is too short. But the longevity – bodies won’t hold up, issues (arise) in the game, new players come through, so he’s stuck there for a decade. I think it’s crazy. But who knows? They might prove (everyone) wrong.”

Recently, Carney and Pearce began a rugby league podcast, fittingly titled Sixes and Sevens, after a successful stint on Triple M’s Footy Talk last year.

Carney has also become a junior pathways coach with the Gold Coast Titans, a “step in the right direction” for the recently married 38-year-old.

They have also launched the Reboot Mindset Academy, where the pair offer one-on-one mental health and fitness coaching. It’s a full-circle moment for two stars whose playing careers were often overshadowed by off-field controversies.

Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce were the NSW halves pairing in the 2012 State of Origin series. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Rebooting careers

“Through our careers we had some setbacks, but we were quite good at getting back on the horse and rebooting our careers. So it’s about helping people that are in a bit of a hole that want a way to get better,” Pearce told The Australian at the Reboot launch event at Reborn gym in Sydney’s Caringbah that also featured former Dragon Trent Merrin.

Carney said: “Through those actions I’ve got an opportunity to work at an NRL club, which if you asked me two years ago if I’d work at an NRL club, I wouldn’t have say I would, and they would’ve said ‘no way we’d have him’.”

Together with mental wellbeing coach Phillip Bagala, the “rebooted” Pearce and Carney will take their venture into Queensland schools this year, with a plan to go national. “It’s a proof that if you make some changes, the opportunities come. It’s all on the back of making a change,” Carney said.