KEVIN BROWN is determined to give head coach Nathan Brown a ‘Giant’ send-off at the end of next season.
Galpharm chief Brown confirmed at the weekend he would be returning to his native Australia at the end of the Super League XVII campaign and will hand over to assistant coach Paul Anderson.
That will signal the end of Brown’s four-year reign as Huddersfield head coach, during which time he has helped the Giants continue to grow as a major Super League force.
In his first season in 2009, the Giants reached the Challenge Cup final at Wembley and the following year he took the club to within one game of the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.
And Giants captain Brown believes the squad owe it to the Australian to finish his time in England with a bang – and by winning some silverware.
“Browny has to go down as one of the most influential people in the club’s history,” said the Giants stand-off.
“For that, I think we all owe him an incredible amount.
“So wouldn’t it be fantastic if we were able to repay him by bringing some silverware to the Giants before he goes?
“I know we’d all like to win something for ourselves, but next season it’s a case of wanting to win for ourselves and to win for Browny, and hopefully that will give us even more motivation to make sure this is the best ever season for the Giants in Super League.
“Yes, it’s going to be tough, because every club seems to get stronger every year.
“But with the way things have been going this pre-season, and with Browny still at the helm, it is an achievable aim.”
For the past two years, there has been mid-season speculation about head coach Brown’s future, which has coincided with a dip in the Giants’ form.
That, however, won’t be the case again this season, and the Huddersfield skipper knows that has to be a good thing.
“I’m not sure exactly how big a distraction all this speculation has been,” added Brown.
“But the good thing is that we know we won’t be able to use anything like that as an excuse next season. It’s something we won’t be able to hide behind if our performances in 2012 start to dip.
“This time we go into the season with everyone knowing exactly where we stand on the coaching front, and that means even more of our focus will be on the job that really matters – winning games.
“And we’ve also immediately put the fact that Baloo (Anderson) is going to be taking over the following year straight to the back of our minds.
“When we were all told the news other day, it was basically a case of ‘yes, that’s great, now let’s crack on with the work.’
“At this moment, Browny is still most definitely the gaffer, and Baloo is his assistant.
“We’re all 100% focused on winning silverware.
“That’s our aim for the year, and at this stage there’s absolutely no point at all thinking about 2013. That’s something for the future.
“Now is all about winning under Brown, and we know we’re more than capable of doing that.”
