After a development stint at then-Kangaroos affiliate Werribee in the VFL, Brown made his AFL debut in round 14, 2014 against Melbourne, kicking a goal and impressing coach Brad Scott enough to keep his spot the following week.

Brown went on to be an influential player in the North Melbourne team in the latter stages of the season, with strong performances in the finals series.

Brown also finished third in the 2017 Coleman Medal behind Josh Kennedy (65) and Lance Franklin (69), with his form also paving the way to a spot in the preliminary 40-man All Australian squad.

In 2018, Brown kicked 61 goals from 22 games, finishing second in the Coleman Medal behind Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt and once again being selected in the 40-man All-Australian team.

During the 2017, 2018 and 2019 home and away seasons Brown finished 3rd, 2nd and 2nd respectively in the Coleman Medal and kicked a combined total of 188 goals across 66 games, the most of any player in the AFL over that time period.