Nathan Brown is back where he believes he belongs.
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After a year out of the game, the 47-year-old's head coaching career was resuscitated by the Warriors.
And at Scully Park last week, the former Dragons and Knights mentor oversaw the side's first week of training as a whole unit ahead of the 2021 season.
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Brown said he felt "very grateful" to be back coaching, because "you just never know" if that would happen once the axe fell.
"Sometimes all it is is opinions," he said of coaching. "Someone can have an opinion of someone that someone else may not.
"Obviously, any coach, regardless of that, needs support and backing."
The former long-serving Dragons hooker was sacked by the Knights with two games remaining in the 2019 season, after four unsuccessful years at the club (they finished last in 2016 and 2017).
Brown said he did "a thousand things" last year. "But not what I love to do."
Being back in the NRL as a head coach was "great", he continued.
"A year out is long enough. A year off is not a bad thing sometimes.
"[But] you certainly don't want to be out too long if you love coaching. Like all the coaches coaching, I love coaching."
Last month NRL.com said the Warriors had become "the club of choice for off-contract stars", following their unlikely form surge last season while long separate from loved ones due to COVID.
However, the Warriors have made the finals only twice in the past 10 years. "No club's happy with that," Brown said.
He added: "We all want the same thing. It's easy to talk about at this time of the year, but it's much harder to do."
That said, Brown is "very happy" with his squad.
There was "a blend of no experience, some experience, a fair bit of experience and a lot of experience", he said, adding: "As we grow as a club, our expectations should be good."
