Dylan Brown went backpacking for six weeks after the World Cup.
He visited London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, played in snow for the first time in Switzerland, and basically forgot about rugby league and talk of contract extensions with Parramatta.
By the time Brown did get around to sorting out his future, he was blown away by how easy and quickly it was sorted. The mega eight-year extension with the Eels took less than a week to get across the line.
Brown told the Herald on Tuesday how he caught up with his management for coffee in Birkenhead Point in the middle of December, and how they had scribbled a contract model on to a whiteboard.
Gavin and Chris Orr had drafted an eight-year plan, which would run through until 2031, with options in Brown’s favour for 2026 and 2028. There were no ratchet clauses, but the chance to re-negotiate each time it came time to take up an extension.
“Gavin and Chris said, ‘We should take this contract model to Parra’, and I 100 per cent agreed,” Brown told the Herald.
Dylan Brown needed less than a week to thrash out his eight-year extension with Parramatta.Credit:Steven Siewert
“We didn’t go to any other clubs with the offer. I was happy to stay at Parra and build the contract around that model. It only took one week and Parra agreed. I was really surprised.
“We had a three-way phone call with Gavin and Chris, we had a laugh and thought, ‘How good is this’. Then I flew home to New Zealand for Christmas.”
Brown said he only ever wanted a two-year extension, and the options in his favour still gave him the flexibility to walk away at the end of 2025 if things were not working out.
“I’m a very go-with-the-flow, happy person, and I didn’t want to lock in anything for too long,” Brown said. “I’m only young. I’m 22. If I’m 28 with kids, or closer to the end of my career, you’d want security. But for me, it’s not like that. It’s a long deal, but I’ll only focus on this year, not the next nine years.”
Brown would not have committed to such a long deal if he did not believe something special was brewing out west. Last year’s grand final appearance is proof the Eels are heading in the right direction.
“And it’s not until you get a taste of something you realise how badly you want it,” Brown said. “I’ve been with the team a while now, and there are a lot of good relationships.
“You can play in a team with superstars, but if you don’t get along well, you won’t want to play for the person alongside you. That’s always been my goal, to be that player others want to play alongside.”
Despite losing some weight after a trip to Bali after Christmas, Brown said he was on track to play in the second trial against Newcastle, and no danger of skipping the season opener against Melbourne.
The chance to fine-tune his game under new assistant Trent Barrett, a representative playmaker in his day, has been priceless.
“Trent wants me more involved and busy, and says, ‘the more the half touches the ball the better it is for the team’.”
