Manly’s Brown back in home town
Lewis Brown hopped off a flight from Sydney and immediately curried favour with the oldschool rugby league types in Christchurch.
On Saturday evening Brown and his Manly team-mates will play the Warriors in an NRL match at a venue now titled AMI Stadium. Not to Brown it isn’t.
Brown, who was raised in the suburb of Belfast and represented the Riccarton Knights club for the majority of his time in the city, walked through the arrivals gate at Christchurch Airport on Tuesday and quickly harked back to the days before the earthquakes – a time when the league fraternity considered the ground in Addington as their HQ.
‘‘The last time I actually played at Rugby League Park, I like to call it, at Addington Showgrounds was for the Canterbury Bulls,’’ he said.
‘‘To be able to play there this weekend in front of just my family, but the whole of Christchurch … it is something you dream of, to play in the NRL but it is another dream to play in front of your family in your hometown.’’
Some of the league brethren in Christchurch may well tip back their 7oz glasses and salute Brown for his stance.
Because for the diehards it remains a sore point that their ground was renamed after an insurance giant when the ‘‘temporary’’ stadium was built, and is now the home of the Crusaders, the team who play that other form of the rugby code.
At 31 Brown accepts he is nearing the end of his career. It hasn’t been the greatest of seasons for him or Manly, who sit 13th on the competition ladder with just four wins from 13 outings.
Brown, who has made just three appearances this season and can operate in the pack or the backline, welcomed the chance to suck in some chilly South Island oxygen.
‘‘It is just good to be home and breathing that fresh New Zealand air.’’
Whether his team-mates will be so chuffed with the wintry conditions is uncertain.
Star playmaker Daly CherryEvans, who missed selection for Queensland in the State of Origin match tonight because Ben Hunt was preferred for game one, might be one Aussie who is happy to be removed from the hype across the Tasman.
‘‘Yeah, mate, he was very unlucky,’’ Brown said in reference to the Queensland selectors decision to snub CherryEvans.
‘‘But Chez is the type of dude that will bounce back. He is not looking any more ahead than this weekend’s game.’’
Brown initially said he was a Maroons supporter. Then he remembered the Trbojevic brothers, Jake and Tom, represent the Blues.
‘‘We have Thursday night off, so on Wednesday night I think a few of the boys will be split down the middle, who they will be cheering for.
‘‘As a Kiwi boy I always go for Queensland. But with the Trbojevic brothers I might be sneaking for the Blues this year.’’
Meanwhile the Warriors are coming off a bye while the Sea Eagles suffered a 26-12 defeat to the North Queensland Cowboys last weekend.
Manly were without New South Wales Origin-tied Trbojevic brothers but they have both been named to back-up after the clash against Queensland. Sea Eagles: Tom Trbojevic, Jorge Taufua, Moses Suli, Brian Kelly, Akuila Uate, Trent Hodkinson, Daly Cherry-Evans (c), Addin Fonua-Blake, Apisai Koroisau, Martin Taupau, Joel Thompson, Shaun Lane, Jake Trbojevic. Interchange: Matthew Wright, Toafofoa Sipley, Frank Winterstein, Taniela Paseka, Thomas Wright, Bradley Parker, Lewis Brown, Lloyd Perrett. Warriors: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (c), David Fusitu’a, Peta Hiku, Solomone Kata, Ken Maumalo, Blake Green, Shaun Johnson, James Gavet, Issac Luke, Agnatius Paasi, Isaiah Papali’i, Tohu Harris, Adam Blair. Interchange: Karl Lawton, Chris Satae, Bunty Afoa, Simon Mannering, Gerard Beale, Mason Lino, Sam Lisone, Ligi Sao.