Why Dylan Brown should pick up the phone to Mitchell Pearce

If there is one man who knows what Dylan Brown is about to expect being Newcastle’s multi-million dollar half, it’s Mitchell Pearce. SportNRLNRL 2026Why Dylan Brown should pick up the phone to Mitchell PearceBy Christian Nicolussi February 22, 2026 — 5.30amSaveLog in, register or subscribe to save articles for later.Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.Got itNormal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementIf Dylan Brown wants to know what it will be like arriving in Newcastle, on a multimillion-dollar deal, and carrying the hopes of one of the most blue-collar rugby league-loving towns in the world, he should pick up the phone to Mitchell Pearce.Brown, who inked a 10-year $13m deal with the club, flew out for Las Vegas on Friday. It is fitting one of the Knights’ biggest signing gambles kicks off his club career in the US wagering capital.Good Knight: Dylan BrownCredit: NRLThe 25-year-old is certainly not fazed about trying to live up to his monster price tag.“‘Pressure’ would be the wrong word,” Brown told this masthead during the week.“I definitely know with the pay packet I need to perform. But that’s what I go out to do every week.“I have a lot to learn. I’m not perfect, and my game is a long way away from where I want it to be.“I’ve dealt with it [expectations] previously at ‘Parra’ [Parramatta] when Mitch Moses was out, we weren’t getting the results we needed, and then they [fans and experts] did the old, ‘blame Dylan’. I understand that. And the same thing will happen here.“There will be times things don’t go our way, and we’ll need to be resilient and bounce back.“You move on. You can’t sit in a bad place.Advertisement“I just want this town to believe in their team. Winning will bring that. It’s a one-team town, and if we’re up, they’re up.”Pearce won a premiership with the Sydney Roosters and was expected to be a one-club player, only to be virtually squeezed out of the club at the end of 2017 when they signed Cooper Cronk to wear his No.7 jersey.Mitchell Pearce had an incentivised contract at the Knights.Credit: NRL PhotosHe inked a four-year, $4m deal with the Knights, and arrived in town with Brown-like expectations.Pearce, who is working as an assistant coach with Catalans in the Super League, said the whopping salary would heap no further pressure on Brown.After all, halves, especially at big clubs like the Roosters and Brown’s former employer, the Eels, were already exposed to intense criticism because of the position they play. A thick skin was even more vital than a slick passing game and an accurate kick.“When you’re a halfback, you always feel like you’re under pressure. I was at the Roosters, there was the rep stuff [with NSW], so I was already used to the external noise,” Pearce said.“For me, I changed the narrative when I got to Newcastle, which is what Dylan might have to do, and that’s realise you’ll get so much support up there. People say there’s pressure, but Newcastle love their players, and they’ll get behind you.“As long as you give 100 per cent, and you’re committed, there’s a genuine love.“If you take the money out of it, which is obviously a big part of it, Dylan is a great pick-up when you think about the halves who are out there.“And now that he’ll work with [head coach] Justin Holbrook, who has always been a great attacking coach, it will only free him up further. Dylan is a seriously talented player.“I’m in Manchester at the moment [for Catalans’ Super League clash with St Helens] where some of the world’s best footballers are paid huge money and there’s pressure to perform. Dylan was offered good money by the Knights because they obviously believe in him. The move will be good for him.”Pearce won over Newcastle from round one when he slotted a match-winning field goal against Manly. He did not have to buy a beer at one of the town’s many pubs the following day.For Brown, just how quickly he can connect with Kalyn Ponga, hooker Phoenix Crossland, and halfback options Sandon Smith and Fletcher Sharpe, will be one of the huge talking points at the Knights.Brown is yet to play a competitive game with Ponga or Sharpe. That fact cannot be underestimated, according to Knights premiership-winning coach Michael Hagan.It could take weeks. It could take a year. Luke Keary noted a few weeks ago how he never felt entirely 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 will be sticking around for a little bit.“They [Knights fans] will need to be measured in what their expectations are – they just want to see blokes playing good footy,” Hagan said.“There have been a few blokes who have come here [with big expectations]. ‘KP’ [Ponga] is one, Ben Kennedy, ‘Pearcey’. Some players thrive on that pressure and I think Dylan will fall into that category.”Brown left the Eels on good terms, and had plenty of the blue and gold faithful tell him they would continue to follow his career from afar, while Newcastle had also been hugely accommodating.“I was standing at