OUTGOING Knights coach Nathan Brown said he came into a club in worse shape than he thought, where the best efforts came on dance floors instead of on the paddock.
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As he fronted the media on Wednesday, two days after he delivered the news it was time to move on, he said changing that was among the top achievements of his rebuild at the club.
Brown said he had met the terms of his contract, but the time had come for him to move on.
"[Contract requirements] are not the reason that we are sitting here today," he told reporters.
"It's got nothing to do with the way the contract is written."
Brown bristled when asked if he was disappointed with the way things had ended or that he would not oversee an era of success, arguing it was only a fact of life.
Brown said he left Newcastle with no ill will, arguing his departure came with the territory of professional coaching.
"If the Knights were winning a grand final in a year or two, there'd be no happier person than me," he said.
"I won't be there as a part of it, but I'll still get satisfaction."
Brown said his tenures at Huddersfield, St George Illawarra and St Helens had taken similar shapes to the Newcastle rebuild, but he was never under any illusion he would be at the helm when the Knights reaped the benefits.
"Life ain't full of fairy tales, I'll give you the tip," he said.
"I get paid to do it, I live a good lifestyle out of it and my wife and kids know that,"
"We leave with the respect of everyone and our heads held high, and we're happy."
He said there was a good chance his skills at overhauling a roster would be in demand again soon, but said he had no job lined up.
On his record this season, Brown said he had met his major goals to improve the side and that a Knights grand final win was likely "closer than what a lot of people think".
"We've done reasonably well," he said.
"We've lost a lot of close games. We're a far better footy team than last year, and that's pretty much the only promise I made when I came here."
"There's an opportunity for the guys to play finals footy."
Brown said the club's culture had transformed, a point of pride for him.
"The drinking culture was horrible and it's ruined careers," he said.
He said the support of the fans, and their commitment to the club during its lean years, had been unwavering.
"They kept coming and they supported me brilliantly, as they'll support the next coach brilliantly, and they'll get the reward for that at some stage," he said.
Knights chief executive Phil Gardner agreed when Brown claimed he had made a hard decision very easy for his boss, but said the unusual contract the coach had been on was no guarantee for his successor.
"This club was burned to the ground a couple of years ago. We've had to build it from the ground up.
"He said to me two years ago that this day would come. He saw it, I didn't, and he was right.
"He's held my hand through the last few years, and I owe Nathan a lot."
Gardner said the club had not spoken to Brown's potential successors before the coach offered the news on Monday, but said he had been active since.
"Anyone who doesn't pass the character test will not be coming to Newcastle," he said.
