Former Featherstone Rovers star Fa’amanu Brown has joined NRL side Sydney Roosters, but will ply his trade with second-tier and feeder side the North Sydney Bears.
He has been on a pre-season trial contract since leaving Rovers at the end of 2021, but Brown looks to have impressed enough to be given a train-and-trial deal heading into the 2022 NRL season.
The 26-year-old Samoan international previously played for the Cronulla Sharks and Canterbury Bulldogs, however, was limited to just 37 games across six seasons in the NRL as he was plagued by injuries that almost left him unable to run.
He was out for the entirety of the 2015 season to an ACL injury and ended with three surgeries in two seasons, as his ability to win another NRL contract fell by the wayside.
A move to Featherstone Rovers in the Championship was Brown’s next destination after missing the whole of the 2020 season.
Brown made it through 21 games without injury, scoring 15 tries and playing across the playmaking roles as Rovers came within a game of promotion before being beaten by Toulouse in the Million Pound Game.
This move is seemingly a route back into the NRL for Brown with the Bears – Sydney Roosters feeder side – taking a punt on him.
Even if Brown does impress in the second-tier of Australian rugby league, he would still be behind Luke Keary, Sam Walker, Drew Hutchison and Lachlan Lam for a place in the Roosters team.
