KEV PREPARED TO PAY PRICE

KEV BROWN admits he’ll always live with the nagging worry his many concussions could come back to haunt him.

But the Salford and England half-back insists he is ready to face anything head on as the price he’ll pay for a career he loves.

The 35-year-old, whose young son is a promising player of the future, said: “Everything that has made my life good is rugby connected.

“I have had so much pleasure from the game and I love the sport because there is a risk factor involved.

“There is a worry about where I’ll be in 20 or 30 years but I would never stop my lad Harry from playing the game.”

Concussions – especially multiple head blows in one game – can eventually lead to brain problems in some cases.

Half-backs tend to get more than most players and Brown added: “I’ve had concussion multiple times in the same game and

JULIE STOTT meets Salford and England half-back KEV BROWN

they are the most dangerous. When I was younger you’d sniff salts and have water on your neck and it would be a sign of weakness to come off with concussion.

“But the RFL have done a lot of great stuff in the last five years and they have really tightened things up, which is good. I feel fine at the moment but I’ve seen specialists and nobody can tell me how I will be in the future.

“Hopefully I won’t be affected but if I am, I still wouldn’t turn back the clock.”

Brown is fiercely tough on the field but off it is quick for a laugh and a joke, often at his own expense.

He said: “My family think all the concussions have knocked some sense into me. They say I was dafter before I started.”

All top players cop abuse from opposing fans and the slightly-built Brown has a whole range of nicknames, including Giraffe, Pea Head and Big Ears.

He laughed: “Even my son has started calling me Giraffe!

“Fans can be brutal because they pick up on anything but if you let it get to you, you’ll have a short career.” For the last few years,