COLLINGWOOD defender Nathan Brown never envisioned himself as a leader, but he says having that responsibility thrust upon him two years ago has given him a fresh perspective on football.
Since playing in the drought-breaking 2010 premiership, Brown has become one of the elder statesmen in Nathan Buckley's outfit after sweeping changes to the Magpies' playing stocks.
Heath Shaw, Dale Thomas, Dayne Beams and Heritier Lumumba were among those traded away, while veterans Nick Maxwell and Luke Ball bade farewell – leaving the next generation of leaders to step up under new skipper Scott Pendlebury.
And Brown is relishing being one of those role models at Collingwood.
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"I came to the club a pretty quiet guy, a pretty shy guy and you get to that age where the list turns over and there's a new feeling around the club and you suddenly become one of the oldest at the club," Brown told the club's website.
"So you get thrust into this leadership role and the last two years I've been in the leadership group and I've really enjoyed it.
"You have to learn to adapt and keep changing the way you fight for your spot, the way you play and the way you teach others below you.
"I've really enjoyed that and I'm looking to expand on it further for the rest of my career."
Leadership clearly sat comfortably with Brown last year as he put a rough trot with injury behind him to produce one of his best seasons to date.
Having missed more than half of Collingwood's matches since 2011 due to shoulder and knee reconstructions, the key backman shrugged off the 'injury-prone' tag and became the rock a promising Pies defence could build around.
He played 21 games, regularly taking on some of the league's most dangerous goalkickers, and was recognised for his superb campaign with an eighth-place finish in the Copeland Trophy.
Another prized feather in the 27-year-old's cap was being named the Darren Millane Memorial Trophy winner as Collingwood's best clubman.
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"It's such a great club with so much history … so to win that award meant a lot to me," Brown said.
"To play the whole season last year was great. I knew I could, I knew I had that in me.
"It's just a matter of backing that up now and going on with it for the rest of my career.
"The main goal this pre-season is to tick off every training session, stay on the park, stay fit and then get into the season and go again."
Brown, who was married in his hometown Ballarat over the Christmas break, is back into the pre-season grind alongside his teammates at the Magpies' training camp on the Sunshine Coast.
The Pies have changed their training routine by heading directly into an intense training block away from Melbourne straight after the break, ramping up their preparations for an important 2016 campaign after two seasons of missing finals.
"Pre-season, particularly with AFL, goes for a long time," said Brown, who is now a veteran of 127 games veteran after being drafted with pick No.10 in 2006.
"So it’s important for us as a team to break it up and trips like these break that up and change momentum to keep players fresh while still getting in the work that we need.
"We’re hoping we get back to Melbourne next week fresh, recuperated and ready to go into our next block, which is leading up to (intra-club) games and then the NAB Cup."
