The Newcastle Knights' record-breaking 10-year, $14 million contract for Dylan Brown has ignited debate among past and present players, with opinions divided on whether the former Eels five-eighth can successfully transition to halfback.
While some believe Brown has the potential to thrive in the No.7 role, others question whether he has the game management skills required to lead a team.
Former Knights playmaker Mitchell Pearce is skeptical about the positional switch and questioned the logic behind such a long-term deal.
โWith that price tag and not being from there, you have to earn the locals' respect, which is what Dylan will have to do,โ Pearce said, speaking with SMH.
โBut 10 years? That's a long time. I've always found 10-year contracts strange. The security is great, but even the greatest players of all time, when they get into their thirties, there are no guarantees their bodies will hold up.โ
Pearce, who played over 300 NRL games, believes Brown's best football has come at five-eighth rather than halfback.
โThis decision has made so many headlines because of the length of the deal, and the fact it's crazy money โ but it's also because they are paying a guy to potentially play out of position,โ he said.
โAnd I can't agree with that.โ
โThe few times he's played halfback without Mitchell [Moses], he struggled to find his groove. It will be interesting to see where Newcastle play him.โ
Knights club legend Kurt Gidley has no doubts that Brown can handle the responsibility of steering the Knights around the park.
โIf I'm in his shoes, I reckon he's totally backing himself 100 per cent to deliver what he's signed for,โ Gidley said.
โI'm sure he'll buy into the culture of the club and the history and what the expectations are.โ
โThere's a lot of talk about the price tag and length of the deal, but I think it's a great opportunity to enjoy that extra pressure โฆ it's a great time to thrive.โ
NRL Immortal Andrew Johns is unsure if Brown has the skillset to be a dominant halfback, while his brother, Matthew Johns, was more blunt in his assessment.
โHe needs someone alongside him to control the game โฆ Dylan's game is the game of a deputy,โ Matthew Johns said.
โAt the moment, he's a reactive player. He's a deputy, he's a pure six. Hell of a six. Very good six. But he ain't a seven.โ
While the doubts remain, Penrith's Nathan Cleary has backed Brown to form a strong combination with Kalyn Ponga.
โThere's been a lot of talk about him being a six rather than a seven,โ Cleary said, speaking on Wide World of Sports.
โHe's obviously signed with Newcastle as a seven. One thing about his game that I really like is how square he plays.
โI 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.โ
The contract has been raised across a range of NRL commentary platforms, and both Paul Gallen and Phil Gould were more critical of the decade-long $14m commitment, joining Cleary on 100% Footy.
In fact, Paul Gallen cast doubt over whether the deal will hold up over a decade.
โI hope whoever made the decision is still there in 10 years' time,โ Gallen said.
Phil Gould suggested that Newcastle's desperation to secure a marquee halfback played a role in the signing.
โThey've obviously seen something in him they need,โ Gould said. โBut a lot of this is the desperation in the game.โ
Knights coach Adam O'Brien, however, has no time for the debate surrounding his playmaking choices.
โJust leave the halves to me,โ O'Brien said.
โLay off it.โ
Brown has played 112 games as a five-eighth with a 58.9% win rate but has won just two of ten games when playing halfback.
