Brown: Penrith-bound?
NRL outfit Penrith Panthers have announced they are looking for a new coach for next season, fuelling speculation that Huddersfield boss Nathan Brown is set to return to Australia.
The Panthers have begun the search for a replacement for ex-Bradford Bulls head coach Matthew Elliott and Brown, Super League coach of the year in 2009, is thought to be among their list of potential candidates.
Elliott, who was in charge at Bradford from 1996-2000, has been at Penrith since 2007 and his departure has come as no surprise, having seen the Panthers win just two of their seven matches so far this season.
“The Panthers board has resolved to appoint a new coach for 2012 and beyond,” a club statement said.
Brown, 37, who was head coach of St George Illawarra before moving to England three years ago, is out of contract at the end of the season and currently considering his future.
“Home is home, so if an opportunity arises (in the NRL), it’s something we definitely want to look at.”
Nathan Brown Quotes of the week
Issues
He announced last May that he would be returning home a year early for personal reasons but two months later performed a U-turn and pledged to see out his contract.
Brown recently confirmed that he would make a decision on his future over the next month and personal issues are once more likely to be the deciding factor.
His wife Tanya gave birth to a boy over the weekend. They already have three girls.
“Home is home, so if an opportunity arises (in the NRL), it’s something we definitely want to look at,” said Brown.
“We’ve just had another baby here, so we will wait four weeks or so and make a decision on what we are going to do from there.”
Brown, who was just 29 when he was appointed coach of the Dragons for the 2003 season, guided Huddersfield to the Challenge Cup final and a third-place finish in Super League in his first season with the Giants in 2009.
