The side got home yesterday when it beat Bay of Plenty 33-32 in Tauranga and sits well clear at the top of the Mitre 10 Cup championship ladder.
"It was outstanding, a very gutsy win. To come up here and play our fourth game in 14 days and then put in such as outstanding defensive effort, you’ve got to like that," he said.
"Guys were getting up off the ground and just getting back in the line and being aggressive in the defensive line.
"That just comes back to attitude and a real desire to do your job, stay in the system and back up your mates."
Brown said the side came home strong and that came back to the good work done by the players coming off the bench.
Forwards Lee Allan, Adam Knight and Josh Dickson had not played for a while because of head knocks and their impetus really helped the team.
Lock Tom Franklin had another strong game.
Brown pointed to the increased experience in the which helped at key times in the game yesterday.
"We never looked like we were panicking. At the end there, we just wanted to play in the right part of the field and not give away too many penalties. That comes down to experience and maturity. Guys know what to do in the game and show some leadership."
The team would not get back to Dunedin until late today and have a day off before coming together on Wednesday, for a match against Tasman, the first side it will meet from the higher Premiership.
Second five-eighth Tei Walden left the field with an ankle injury yesterday but it is not too serious.
In other games over the weekend, Tasman beat Taranaki 25-20 in Nelson, Wellington just got home 21-17 over North Harbour in the capital and Canterbury beat Northland 52-34 in Whangarei.
In the Ranfurly Shield match yesterday, Waikato retained the shield, beating Manawatu 19-10.