NATHAN Brown is a step closer to rejoining the NRL coaching ranks after a seven year absence with the former St George Illawarra coach one of four people to be interviewed for the vacant Newcastle Knights job in Sydney today.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Brown, former Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin and current Penrith NSW Cup coach Garth Brennan are three of the four applicants the Knights have short-listed to replace sacked coach Rick Stone in 2016.

All three have been granted interviews along with a fourth contender after the Knights board met last week to narrow down the focus from a list of more than 20 applicants.

High profile former ARL boss John Quayle, Wests Group CEO Phil Gardner and nib CEO Mark Fitzgibbon, all members of the football subcommittee on the Knights board, will conduct the interviews along with Knights CEO Matt Gidley.

Gidley was giving nothing away when contacted by The Daily Telegraph last night, refusing to confirm or deny the interviews were even taking place.

“There is nothing new to add on the coaching front at this point,” Gidley said.

“We are just going through the process of trying to find the right person for the job and it’s something that we just have to get right.

“We need someone who will come in and improve this club and take us forward.”

Current caretaker coach Danny Buderus does not want the job long term and it is also understood ex-Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter has not been short-listed.

On the surface, Brown loams as the obvious favourite on the strength of his experience in the NRL and the English Super League.

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After a long playing career, he was in charge at St George Illawarra for six seasons from 2003-08 before taking Huddersfield to the Challenge Cup final after he was replaced as Dragons coach by Wayne Bennett.

He also took out the Super League premiership and grandfinal with St Helens last year before returning to Australia. He was on the coaching staff of Laurie Daley’s NSW Blues this season and is a part-time coaching consultant at Melbourne Storm.

Griffin, who was at the helm of the Broncos for four seasons before Bennett took his job at the end of last season, remains highly regarded in NRL circles while Brennan has had plenty of lower grade success at the Panthers and still lives in Newcastle.

The interview process will go a long way to determining the new coach but, according to sources, it is not beyond the realms of possibility the club may continue the search if the four contenders today fail to measure up.