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The Arrowtown rugby side is benefiting from a late-season cameo from a player with a decent pedigree.
Their new centre Max Brown is the son of legendary ’90s All Black prop Olo Brown, though, being just 24, he was not around to witness his dad’s deeds.
Living locally with his mum Kristie from about the age of 4, Max attended Queenstown Primary before moving on to Dunedin’s Otago Boys’ High.
While here he says he was persuaded to study chiropractic, as against physiotherapy, by local chiropractor Neki Patel.
Now in his third year of a five-year degree in Auckland, Max is hoping to come back to Queenstown after that to learn under Patel.
Max says he started his rugby career at prop, like his dad, but after his first year of scrum play "I went straight to the backs".
"Probably didn’t have enough dog in me, eh," he quips.
While doing a BCom at Otago Uni in Dunedin, he played for club side Harbour.
But in ’21 he broke his left wrist, requiring three surgeries.
Max says he also had a season playing rugby league for the Otago Whalers after dabbling in the sport at primary school — "I sort of like it because it’s more of a running game, so as a back all you have to do is run and tackle, which is nice".
Last year he played rugby for the Auckland competition-winning Ponsonby Premiers.
While holidaying in Queenstown this past summer, Max says mates urged him to play for Arrowtown during this six-week holiday break — "they all said, ‘don’t go to Wakatipu, go to Arrowtown"’.
He has now joined the Bulls after another stint playing league, and has so far played three games for them, scoring a try apiece in his first two games, then a brace — Arrowtown’s only tries — during their 31-14 loss to Upper Clutha last weekend.
Max says he is enjoying his stint and only hopes Alexandra can drop a game to help Arrowtown make the semis.
"[Captain Ryan Egerton] has really been welcoming and I’ve sort of slotted in nicely with them."
Max has also enjoyed learning from assistant Tony Ensor who was an outside back during his professional career.
Arrowtown have a bye this weekend while the Wakatipu Prems, who had the bye last weekend, travel to Ranfurly to play Maniototo this Saturday.
