The Newcastle Knights legend has helped Dylan Brown in the past and had his say on the Eels star.
Newcastle Knights legend Andrew Johns had warned the club about what they are getting with Dylan Brown after reports the Eels five-eighth has signed a record NRL deal to leave the Eels. On Monday, fans were left shellshocked when reports emerged Brown had told his Eels teammates he will be off to the Knights on a 10-year deal, worth $13 million starting in 2026.
The move would be the biggest in NRL history and with it comes a huge level of expectation on the 24-year-old to deliver. There has already been suggestions Brown will face extra scrutiny during the 2025 season with every bad performance ridiculed because he is leaving the Eels.
And Johns spoke about the pending deal on the weekend having suggested the Knights need to know what they are getting for the enormous sum of money. Speaking ahead of the Eels game against the Storm, Johns admitted Brown could be worth the money if the Knights are able to get the best out of him.
However, having worked with Brown in the past, Johns wasn’t sold yet on whether he was the ideal halfback to run the team that is often lacking direction. Brown has the opportunity to prove his doubters wrong in the coming weeks with halves partner Mitchell Moses out injured. “Potentially yes (he’s worth it) because he’s an amazing player,” Johns said on The Sunday Footy Show. “But can he be a halfback steering a team around? The question marks are there.
“I’ve helped Dylan in his career. Can he wear the No.7 and push a team around the park? I don’t know. The next six weeks, he’s in an audition and we’re going to see it. He’s under all sorts of pressure with how he handles that.”
Johns’ concerns over Brown are valid with the many feeling he hasn’t yet performed for his current club with the No.7 jersey on his back. And in his first 2025 audition as the leading playmaker for the Eels it didn’t go to plan. Brown ran out in the No.6 jersey, with youngster Ronald Volkman playing halfback, but Parramatta were blown away 56-18 in a horror start to Jason Ryles’ coaching career.
While Brown performed well in attack, finishing with two try assists and a line-break assist, he did the majority of his attacking work once the game was put to bed in the second-half. The five-eighth also had a woeful missed tackle on Eli Katoa that led to a try for the Storm.
Matty Johns questions Dylan Brown’s halfback ability
Surprisingly, Johns isn’t the only former Newcastle playmaker to doubt Brown’s ability to play halfback. His brother Matty Johns claimed Brown’s strengths are his ball-running and quick thinking. And the former Knights five-eighth claimed Brown hadn’t learnt how to direct the team around the park and organise like elite halfbacks can.
“We’ve already spoken about the difference between a six and a seven,” Johns said on Fox Sports’ Matty and Cronk. “Dylan can impact a game heavily, he can have a big impact on a game; but to do that, he needs someone alongside him to control the game. That’s what he needs.
“Dylan is an explosive player, he impacts the game through moments. He’s not a seven, he’s a six. “Dylan’s game is the game of a deputy. Which most sixes are; they are deputies. At 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.”
The Knights and one other unnamed club reportedly offered Brown 10-year contracts worth $13 million. Brown reportedly told his Parramatta teammates he was accepting the offer from the Knights. There will be a 10-day cooling down period after the club is informed. While Parramatta have the right to respond with an offer, it does not appear they will come close to the Knights’ bid. The five-eighth was set to leave about $6 million on the table if he opted to stay at the Eels.
