Former NRL coach Nathan Brown will leave the Parramatta Eels after a short stint as the club’s elite pathways coaching director.
Brown joined the Eels midway through 2022 to lead a review into its elite pathways program in a bid to ensure local talent had the best opportunity to progress through to NRL level at the club.
The 50-year-old coached at the Dragons, Knights, Warriors and in the Super League and was also a coaching adviser for Parramatta’s NRLW team this year.
But his time with the Eels is now over, with Brown and his family to relocate to the Gold Coast.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure having Nathan at our club,” Eels general manager of football Mark O’Neill said.
“He has brought an enormous amount of experience to our elite pathways program and helped accelerate the development of our players in those programs.
“We’ll definitely miss ‘Browny’, and we wish him and his family all the very best in their future and new life in Queensland.”
Meanwhile, Matt Moylan is heading to the UK after signing a two-year deal with Leigh Leopards.
The 32-year-old was granted an immediate release by the Sharks on Monday night, with Moylan falling out of favour towards the end of the 2023 season, with Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall emerging as Cronulla’s preferred halves pairing.
It ends an 11-season career in the NRL with Penrith and Cronulla, while Moylan also represented his state and country.
Moylan will join the Leopards next season after meeting with coach Adrian Lam, with the club trumpeting the deal as “one of the biggest in club history”.
“Adrian got on a plane and met with Matt and his agent, Allan Gainey, face-to-face. He was able to explain what we want as a club, what we are looking to achieve and his own coaching philosophy,” Leigh Leopards head of rugby Chris Chester said.
“Matt is a world-class player, and his CV speaks for itself. Everyone I’ve spoken to says he’s an unbelievable person, and one of those who leads with his actions on the field. He’s a great professional and an extremely hardworking and talented player.
“Matt will take us to the next level. He’s a running half, so that will give us threats on both sides of the field. He’s got great leg speed, he’s durable – he played 24 games last year and 20 this – he’s a good goal kicker, and he’s a good defender.
“It’s a huge statement of intent by the club and great for our town. It’s huge for us as a club that we have attracted a top-quality halfback over from the NRL.”