Off-contract Manly Sea Eagles enforcer Nathan Brown has told media in Australia that his ‘time is up’ in the NRL, though it’s believed he still wants to make a move to Super League.
It’s not the first time that Brown has made headlines regarding a switch to Super League, with his name coming up on multiple occasions already in 2026.
In early June, it was reported that Catalans Dragons were the favourites to secure his services for 2026 but a July report indicated that multiple clubs were in for him.
Brown has now spoken up and whilst he has not explicitly expressed a desire to move to Super League, he has confirmed that the 2026 season will be his last in the NRL, whilst also making reference to playing overseas.
The 33-year-old, who is in his third season at Manly, has told AAP: “I just knew it was my time to call it quits in the NRL.
“I made my debut in 2013, so it’s my 14th year. When your time’s up, your time is up.”
Brown then admitted: “The last thing I wanted to do was sit on the fence with whether I want to stay or go overseas.”
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The fact he has now clearly got off the fence, by indicating that it is time to ‘call it quits in the NRL’ would suggest that he has taken the second option of going overseas, thus a Super League move seems likely.
Brown also conceded that the reason for his NRL exit isn’t physical but more mental, adding: “You don’t want to be finishing by just clutching at the straws and hanging on by a thread.
“I feel like I can probably still physically play another year in the NRL. But in the mental side of things, I’m just ready.”
As a veteran of 197 NRL games, there will be interest for Brown, though his age may go against him in terms of a long-term contract. He will also need to move to a club with an open overseas quota spot, further narrowing the scope of which Super League clubs may target him.
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