Why Newcastle Knights recruit Dylan Brown should pick up the phone to Mitchell Pearce

“I just want this town to believe in its team. Winning will do that. This is a one-team town and if we stand up, they stand up too.”

Pearce won a title with the Sydney Roosters and was expected to be a one-club player, but they were almost kicked out of the club at the end of 2017 when they signed Cooper Cronk to wear the number 7 jersey.

He signed a four-year, $4 million deal with the Knights and came to town with Brown-like expectations.

Pearce, who works as an assistant coach for the Catalan team in the Super League, said that the high salary will not put more pressure on Brown.

After all, halves were already coming under intense criticism for the position they played, particularly at big clubs such as the Roosters and Brown’s former employer the Eels. A thick skin was much more vital than a slippery passing game and an accurate shot.

“When you’re a halfback you always feel like you’re under pressure. I was at the Roosters, it was about representation [with NSW]”So I was already used to outside noise,” Pearce said.

“For me, when I came to Newcastle I changed the narrative, which is what Dylan has to do and realize you’re going to get a lot of support there. “People say there’s pressure but Newcastle love their players and they’ll have your back.

“There is true love as long as you give your 100 percent and are committed.

“If you take the money out, which is certainly a big part of it, when you think about the halves there Dylan is a great tackler.

“And now he will work with it [head coach] Justin Holbrook, who has always been a great offensive coach, this will free him up even more. Dylan is a truly talented actor.

“I’m in Manchester right now [for Catalans’ Super League clash with St Helens] A place where some of the best football players in the world are paid big money and there is pressure to perform. Dylan was offered good money by the Knights because they clearly believed in him. This transfer will be good for him.”

Pearce scored a match-winning strike against Manly to win Newcastle in round one. The next day he didn’t have to buy a beer from one of the many bars in town.

For Brown, how quickly he can link up with Kalyn Ponga, hooker Phoenix Crossland and halfback options Sandon Smith and Fletcher Sharpe will be one of the biggest talking points at the Knights.

Brown has yet to play a competitive game with Ponga or Sharpe. That fact cannot be taken lightly, according to Michael Hagan, the Knights’ championship-winning coach.

It may take weeks. It may take a year. Luke Keary stated a few weeks ago that he never felt completely comfortable playing alongside Cronk after spending a year with Pearce at the Chooks until the eve of the 2018 finals.

It’s a good thing Brown is here to stay a while longer.

“Them [Knights fans] Hagan will have to be measured by what his expectations are; “They just want to see guys playing good football,” he said.

“There’s a few guys coming here [with big expectations]. ‘KP’ [Ponga] one, Ben Kennedy, ‘Pearcey’. “Some actors handle that pressure, and I think Dylan will fall into that category as well.”

Brown left the Eels on good terms and many blue and gold faithful have told him they will continue to follow his career from afar, while Newcastle have also been extremely helpful.

“I was standing in Dixon Beach looking at the sunrise and an Australian guy came up to me, didn’t look at me and just said, ‘Welcome to Newcastle, mate,'” Brown said.

“’Hey, Dylan, how’s it going?’ There was no such question. It met me, ran away, and then started swimming. It was like a scene from a movie.

“I also noticed how full the pubs were from Monday to Sunday. It’s a mining town, there are lots of pubs here and they’re always very busy.

“They love football. We tested it with 10,000 people on Saturday. It’s not bad.”

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The only Knight with a bigger profile than Brown is Ponga. Ponga regularly commented on how Brown was more relaxed than him. He marveled at how Brown competed in every game in training and showed up late to training just to win the fitness tests after his excellent Pacific Championships campaign for New Zealand.

One of the Knights’ concerns will be their flocks. A playmaker is only as good as his ability to roll guys forward and let them attack off the front foot.

Newcastle opened their account against North Queensland at Allegiant Stadium.

Their absences, even in the first round, will not be an excuse. Brown is being paid well to deliver overdue success. As he said, there is no pressure.