Brown was a key member of Ian Watson's staff at Salford and has moved with him to Huddersfield for 2021. "If you do a decent job collectively as a group of staff and a team of players, you give yourself a chance to perform at the important times of the year," he said.
Tuesday 2 February 2021 19:33, UK
Even if you do not necessarily know his name, the chances are Greg Brown will be instantly recognisable to regular watchers of Super League.
The strength and conditioning coach can often be seen alongside Ian Watson on gameday, although this year it will be wearing different club colours after the pair, along with rehabilitation conditioner Carl Foulstone, swapped Salford Red Devils for Huddersfield Giants.
With the 2021 Super League season set to get underway on March 25, Brown is in the midst of what is the busiest part of the year for him in ensuring the squad are in peak physical condition for the big kick-off - and he would not have it any other way.
"I don't think there would be anyone in my role at any team where this wouldn't be their favourite time of year," Brown told Sky Sports.
"It's the most stressful time, but it's a time when you get to have the biggest involvement with the players.
"If you do a decent job collectively as a group of staff and a team of players, you give yourself a chance to perform at the important times of the year."
Joining Huddersfield marks a return to familiar territory for Brown, who grew up in the town playing football and rugby and began his career in professional sport with the Giants after completing a degree in sports rehabilitation.
Only stalwarts Jermaine McGillvary, Michael Lawrence, Leroy Cudjoe and Joe Wardle remain at the John Smith's Stadium from when he left for Salford six years ago, although the evolution of rugby league during that time has meant more than just the faces have changed.
Rule changes, particularly the shot clock and 'six again', have placed greater emphasis on players needing more explosive performance and having shorter in-game recovery periods, requiring them to be bigger, faster and stronger than ever before.
At the same time, Brown is mindful of ensuring players are not at risk of avoidable injury and starting his career on the rehabilitation side prior to becoming a strength and conditioning coach has provided valuable insights for his current role.
"I actually came from a background more looking after injured athletes and returning them to being fully fit athletes," Brown said.
I have a really good appreciation of protection of players but then on the strength and conditioning side the performance of players, so I think it gives me a really good balance.
"Off the back of that, I started to spend more time looking at the team rather than looking after individuals, and then it developed from there.
"Generally, in our roles, most people see physios as being quite protective and cautious with players and the other perception is S&Cs spend most of the time flogging players to get them fit.
"I think my background in rehab kind of puts me somewhere in the middle. I have a really good appreciation of protection of players but then on the strength and conditioning side the performance of players, so I think it gives me a really good balance."
Brown's job is not simply a case of getting the players as fit and strong as possible. Most importantly, he must tailor their performance levels to the requirements of the systems and tactics employed by head coach Watson.
It was a system which worked wonders for Salford and Brown won plenty of acclaim from the Red Devils players for the role he played behind the scenes as the club reached the Super League Grand Final for the first time in 2019 and their first Challenge Cup final for over half a century last year.
Watson has been a big influence on Brown too, and not just when it comes to rugby league.
"He's the angriest little man you have probably ever met in your life, but he's the smartest and most meticulous coach alongside that," Brown said.
"It's six years together this year, but I would like to think that even though I'm a strength and conditioning coach, I have learnt a lot about rugby and about life from Ian Watson.
He's the angriest little man you have probably ever met in your life, but he's the smartest and most meticulous coach alongside that.
"I think the biggest thing for myself is everybody can see rugby is a very dynamic sport for 80 minutes with repeat intensity, but alongside that most importantly is a head coach who has an idea and a mindset of how he wants his team to play.
"Regardless of how I want the players to perform, I have got to fit the players into a category which allow the head coach to do what he's requiring in his system."
The challenge for Watson, Brown and Foulstone is now to mould Huddersfield into a team which can consistently be competing for honours - something the Giants have not done since claiming their sole League Leaders' Shield eight years ago.
Brown believes their arrival, as well as that of Watson's off-season player signings, has brought a new level of enthusiasm to a squad and is in no doubt that will be key in 2021 to get the best out of a team which already included Man of Steel nominee Aidan Sezer, long-serving internationals and up-and-coming talent.
"It's been really good," Brown said of the early weeks of pre-season. "Enthusiasm is a really important word, and myself and Watto bring a lot of work to the staff and to training, and I think it becomes infectious.
"The staff, with our arrival, have definitely become far more enthusiastic and that immediately rubs off on the players - and I think they're excited to be in a different environment and learn some different things.
"Alongside that, we have brought in some new players which has increased the enthusiasm. Ian Watson is very meticulous, and you'll have seen over the years the type of player he recruits and brings in. That type of player will always be good for the group.
"People like Luke Yates, Joe Greenwood, Josh Jones are people who will have an influence on the Giants boys already there and will bring up the level of everybody."
