NTFA footy profile: Brown providing Tigers with 'point of difference'

The Tigers got up 16.10 (106) to 7.5 (47) at home against NTFA premier arch-rivals Bracknell and Stagg made the comment in front of the playing group and fans in his post-game address.

The coach was asked to elaborate and spoke of Brown's hard work in defence and attack.

"He played a lot of wing for Launceston (Blues) in the three premierships, so he's still learning his craft inside (the midfield)," he said.

"But you can see with his first five steps and power, that he's going to be a real weapon for us.

"Over the last couple of years, we've probably been a little bit one-paced, so he's a point of difference for us I guess in the middle of the ground."

Brown said he had loved the switch to the engine room.

"I've got a big focus on trying not to lose one-on-ones, (it's about) always trying to win or halve them," he said.

The 25-year-old said he was part of a group of six players, including Liam Davies and Jack Donnellan, that could roll through the midfield.

It's a new-look midfield for the Tigers who are without last year's captain Josh Frankcombe and second ruck Sam Luttrell who switched to Old Scotch in the off-season.

The running players helped Longford turn the game around against Bracknell after the Tigers were down by 11 points at quarter-time.

"We knew they were going to come out hot as the last two weeks they've come out hot in the first half and been on top," he said.

"We just stuck to our guns. We had a big pre-season and we knew that we were going to run over the top of them in the end."

It was clear on the weekend from Stagg's quarter-time and post-game address that the 2022 premiers are full of intent this year after their semi-finals exit last year.

Brown shed light on the big pre-season.

"It was more of the discipline of the boys doing their own stuff out of footy," he said.

"So we were all going for runs and doing our own thing just to build into a big year and we know we've got the right team to do it and we just want to prove we can do it."

It was his second summer with the Tigers after crossing from the Blues in 2022 and he has loved the move to play alongside friends, including defender Kobe Moore.

"In the last year I was at Launnie, I had a couple of mates here (Longford) and came to the functions and just got to know all the people around the club," he said.

"It's such a family-oriented club and everyone's so lovely and welcoming and I just wanted to be around it."

Brown played 18 games last year, appearing in the best seven times and kicking 12 goals.

He also represented the NTFA against the NWFL.

Brown said he didn't start playing footy until he was convinced to join up by friends when he was about 14. He went on to play in the Tassie Mariners (now Devils) program.

The footballer said he works at the IGA in Newnham which his grandparents own and his mum, Sandra Boland, manages.

"I've been working there since I could walk pretty much," he said.

Brown and his fellow midfielders have their biggest test yet this weekend with a first versus second clash.

The Tigers take on South Launceston at Youngtown Oval on Saturday at 2.30pm.