Ever since Dylan Brown left Whangarei to join Parramatta Eels he been instrumental in Eels success and his consistent development now leads Brown to a Kiwi-NRL Grand Final. Brown will come up against Hokianga's James Fisher-Harris in the final as Eels take on Panthers and this is a glorious moment for Northland rugby league, after these two lined up together for Aotearoa Kiwis earlier this year.

Many Niche Cache yarns have been whipped up about Brown with key themes being his development in a strong Eels system and his standing as one of the best running/tackling halves in the NRL.

Brown's development at Eels is also evident in Kiwi-NRL lads Marata Niukore, Isaiah Papali'i and Makahesi Makatoa while Wiremu Greig, Ofahiki Ogden and Hayze Perham are next in line for this Eels development bump. Bailey Simonsson also showed signs of this in the win over Cowboys as he played his first game at centre this season and like Makatoa plugging forward holes or Perham stepping in on the wing, Eels are getting value out of blokes playing their roles.

There is a tint of winning in Brown's journey from Northern Swords Under 15s (2015) where he formed a dynamic combo with Titans' Paul Turner, to now cracking an NRL GF. Brown shifted from Northland to Eels where he led Eels to U16 Harold Matthews Cup (2016) and then U18 SG Ball Cup championships (2017). Such dominance resulted in Brown making the Australian Schoolboys in 2017 and he then played 14 games of U20 Jersey Flegg in 2018 before making his NRL debut to start the 2019 season.

After winning U18 SG Ball in 2017, Brown made his NRL debut as an 18-year-old in 2019.

Sure, Brown didn't have more than five try assists in each of his first three NRL seasons. Brown won 10+ games in each of his first three seasons while nudging 100 running metres and looking at ease with NRL defensive mahi. Brown was a teenager for those first few years and given his winning/development record, it should come as no surprise that he quickly matured into his best footy.

Eels have finished fifth, third, fourth and fourth with Brown in the team.

Eels were below par in the first half against Cowboys and elevated their footy in the second half, offering more energy and confidence. As Eels found their groove, Mitchell Moses kept banging long kicks to the Cowboys' 10m line and Brown kept running straight with strong defence against Jeremiah Nanai, Peta Hiku and then Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

Brown had one kick against Cowboys for 32m, Moses had 18 kicks. Brown averaged over 100 kicking metres per game in the two previous seasons and has dropped down to 65 kicking metres per game this season. How this translates to a GF against Panthers will be interesting as Moses will be under immense pressure, perhaps pointing to another wee development pocket for Brown to showcase.

Since round 17, Brown has five games with 100+ kicking metres. Brown also has one forced drop-out in six of his last eight games. Brown is perfectly equipped for this challenge and his solid whare foundations in running/tackling should offer him space to flex his kicking game.

This Kiwi-NRL Spotlight is about celebrating the rise of an elite Aotearoa youngster. Brown went from Whangarei to Sydney and swiftly emerged as one of the best players of his age bracket in Australia. Brown's best year of Kiwi-NRL footy saw him play for Aotearoa Kiwis and now he has sealed a Grand Final spot, reflecting nicely on grassroots Northland sport.

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