Browny’s Back
Friday, July 17, 2026
The Blackhawks 2024 player of the year has never taken a backwards step, but a nervous Nick Brown was slightly tentative taking the field for Burdekin in the Local League on Sunday… And with good reason, it was his first footy game back from a long layoff, after suffering a serious knee injury in round 2 of last year’s Queensland Cup season.
“It was 482 days since my last game. The first tackle and first run I had I was a little bit nervous which is expected. But then once that happened I got over those first initial I guess not fears but just worry. I ended up punching out about 40 minutes which was probably a little bit more than I was supposed to but yeah the knee felt good.”
The 29 old overcame several dark moments during his rehabilitation. The long road to recovery was often lonesome and a slow-going process.
“Yeah there some really tough times, especially considering how good I was going before the injury and I guess the hardest thing was the unfamiliarity of the problem. For example; with an ACL you know you’ll be back running within 4 to 5 months where I went almost 12 months without running.”
The focus now is gaining game fitness. Gaining kilograms became an issue while the prop was sidelined but extra sessions sweating it out at Hybrid Performance Training has Brown back on track to hitting his target weight. “Big shoutout to Stricko! I’ve been going to his gym three to four times a week, the last six weeks and I think I’ve dropped about seven or eight kilos. But yeah the lungs were in all sorts on Saturday, the body’s still a bit sore, but I’m just grateful to be back playing. I’ve come a long way from being told I’d never play again and I’ll probably need a knee replacement in 3 to 4 years.”
Without his unrelenting resolve and dogged determination Brown’s rugby league return wouldn’t have happened, his next goal is to earn a Hostplus Cup Call up this season. And he wants his selection to be on merit alone, rather being picked on how he’s previously performed for Townsville.
“But the way the boys are going at the moment, it’s going to be pretty tough to get into that team, especially when you look at some of the fellas that aren’t in it as well, so I’ll just keep building in the local league with Burdekin.”
Brown will run out for the Roosters again on Saturday, when they host Centrals.
