RENEWING his relationship with St Kilda coach Alan Richardson played a big part in Nathan Brown's decision to join the Saints.
Brown accepted a free agency offer of a two-year deal with the Saints this week, meaning he'll link up with Richardson, his first development coach at Collingwood when he was drafted a decade ago.
The 27-year-old, who played 130 games with the Magpies after being taken with pick 10 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, joined the Saints on Sunday after the Pies decided not to match St Kilda's offer for the key defender.
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Brown told NAB AFL Trade Radio on Tuesday that his existing ties to Richardson, and the prospect of being a part of the Saints' exciting list, led to his departure from Collingwood.
"'Richo' (Alan Richardson) played a massive part in my introduction to the AFL, and the culture of the game," Brown said.
"I'm absolutely stoked to be continuing my journey with Alan.
"I had a chat to him the other night and it felt like I was an 18-year-old again sitting in his office, planning out next season.
"The feeling was all positive, I believe I've got some more growing to do in my career, and I believe Alan Richardson is the man to do that for me.
"Collingwood was on the receiving end of an absolute smashing from the Saints this year, so they can definitely play really good footy.
"It does excite me, they've got a young list with some exceptional leaders as players.
"It feels like a place full of confidence at the moment so I'm excited to be a part of their journey."
Brown said he first had contact with St Kilda officials last week, and was put through a 45 minute fitness test a couple of days later.
Once a fixture of the Pies' backline, Brown was dropped after round six this season, then injured his hamstring in the VFL, and didn't win his place back in the senior team until round 14, eventually playing 16 matches for the year.
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With Jake Carlisle's impending return from a WADA suspension, the addition of the premiership backman has bolstered the Saints' key defensive stocks significantly for 2017.
Brown said his next job was to start building relationships with Carlisle and the rest of his new teammates.
"Obviously he'll be back into it next year so I'm looking forward to teaming up with him," he said of the ex-Bomber.
"I think there's a really strong and up and coming backline group, so I'm excited to see what the future holds.
"I'll sit down with the guys and figure out how they want me to play in terms of the Saints' brand.
"I'm more than willing to adapt and to learn new tricks at a great club."
One of Brown's assignments in 2017 could be to shut down his former teammate Travis Cloke, who is likely to become a Western Bulldog this week.
"I've got him covered, I've played on him a lot at training," he laughed.
"He's a good guy 'Clokey', and I wish him all the best.
"Obviously once you cross that white line you do everything to get the win for your team, but it's good fun and there's a lot of banter.
"After the game, we'll shake hands and hopefully we're singing the Saints theme song."
