Luke Brooks - Mega Thread

Madden going well....
Gives us options for the rest of the year.

I thought Brooks looked defeated last night, I guess it's getting to him.
What are the chances he takes Munsters spot at he Storm next year?
Next year options for Luke.
Dolphins or Storm dependent on Munsters decision. (Though Braith has mentioned Munster is off contract end of next season.
Newcastle to replace Clune - though debatable if that is a better choice (one thing going for Brooks and the knights is that Clifford is their main kicker.
Warriors; only SJ is signed on and is a dominant player. Could pair well.
Manly; Kieron Foran is slowing down, missing tackles, looking closer to retirement.
Roosters; Luke Keary could be one head knock away.
 
that if a player has ability, it shows regardless of the team they play in? Contextually, in the past we've had players like Tedesco, arguably Moses, Addo-Carr, to name a few, that always showed potential to be great, and just needed a better team around them to realize their potential.
Other players that have left the WT - I am thinking Lodge, Aloiai, Chee-Kem, Suli, Walters, Corey Thompson, Eseinhuth, Marsters etc. - once they left our club, never really rose to great heights, or only played a very minor part in that club success (think Momirovski at the Panthers).
Which brings me the polarizing debate around Luke Brooks - to me I see him more in the mold of the second list of players. But rather than just focusing on him, my point is that in any team, when you are born to play footy, you shine no matter who you have around you. You are a diamond in the rough, which a better team brings to full shine.
But you cannot turn water into wine.
 
that if a player has ability, it shows regardless of the team they play in? Contextually, in the past we've had players like Tedesco, arguably Moses, Addo-Carr, to name a few, that always showed potential to be great, and just needed a better team around them to realize their potential.
Other players that have left the WT - I am thinking Lodge, Aloiai, Chee-Kem, Suli, Walters, Corey Thompson, Eseinhuth, Marsters etc. - once they left our club, never really rose to great heights, or only played a very minor part in that club success (think Momirovski at the Panthers).
Which brings me the polarizing debate around Luke Brooks - to me I see him more in the mold of the second list of players. But rather than just focusing on him, my point is that in any team, when you are born to play footy, you shine no matter who you have around you. You are a diamond in the rough, which a better team brings to full shine.
But you cannot turn water into wine.
The team with the best roster usually wins.
Some teams like Melbourne can play with hangovers and still win.
Rorters win for obvious reasons. 🤑
 
Brooks wouldn't succeed in other teams, except on a small contract (150-200k) and as their 4th choice spine playmaker (i.e. taking a backseat to the FB, 5/8th and hooker). I'd also caveat that "success" as more him succeeding as part of the team rather than he himself having any significant impact on that success.

His defenders are completely irrational because they don't put forward anything he actually does well (because he doesn't do anything well). His career highlights are basically him scooping up loose balls/offloads and scoring tries in broken play and way back he had a few nice grubbers for Tedesco to fly onto.

What would he actually add to a team? Running game is ineffective and his pace isn't there anymore. He doesn't put players into holes and his kicking game isn't very effective. Can't organise a team or control the game. Decent enough defender now I suppose.

As you said, he falls into that second category there. I don't think he's much different to Billy Walters as a player actually, just managed to have a charmed career and managed to earn about 5x what he should've.
 
my point is that in any team, when you are born to play footy, you shine no matter who you have around you. You are a diamond in the rough, which a better team brings to full shine.
But you cannot turn water into wine.

Completely agree.

This is though a stupid Brooks argument because Brooks isn't a great player. He just isn't.

The problem with Brooks bashers is they compare him to Andrew Johns. He is more like Johnny Morris.
 
Brooks wouldn't succeed in other teams, except on a small contract (150-200k) and as their 4th choice spine playmaker (i.e. taking a backseat to the FB, 5/8th and hooker). I'd also caveat that "success" as more him succeeding as part of the team rather than he himself having any significant impact on that success.

His defenders are completely irrational because they don't put forward anything he actually does well (because he doesn't do anything well). His career highlights are basically him scooping up loose balls/offloads and scoring tries in broken play and way back he had a few nice grubbers for Tedesco to fly onto.

What would he actually add to a team? Running game is ineffective and his pace isn't there anymore. He doesn't put players into holes and his kicking game isn't very effective. Can't organise a team or control the game. Decent enough defender now I suppose.

As you said, he falls into that second category there. I don't think he's much different to Billy Walters as a player actually, just managed to have a charmed career and managed to earn about 5x what he should've.
FWIW as a Brooks supporter I've only argued that his form has often mirrored that of the team's, and that he's often been wrongly held accountable for (not overcoming) most of their (the team's) deficiencies/challenges.
That it's caused him setbacks.
The last fortnight alone we've heard how the inexperienced players deserve a pass (rightly so) so further responsibility has been pushed back onto him.
A few years back, aging and slower players (including forwards) mostly made up the squad but it helped with his growth and confidence - having the experience around him - yet our squad just couldn't sustain the effort.
But he still showed great promise with his attacking ability and executing the coach's game plan.

The funny thing to me is there's currently a lot of reasoning with understanding how the youth need the right players around them to take them to that next level but it's rarely applied it to his development (why he's never mastered his skills with kicking and game management etc.,)
He's basically never had the same. Low impact forwards and poor strike players. I however can't even remember all the spine players to discuss them. He's also had a number of coaches. So instability is another hindrance.

FYI this is only directed at my viewpoint on his talent and how I believe we've contributed to his poor develipment. For the remark that we're irrational with not backing up any of our praising comments, any arguments about 2018 are often disregarded due to the (in)consistency of his form since then. Which is why I've actually made the point with my first statement in that the quality of our squad is a correlating factor which is often ignored. His career has been unsuccessful because the club/team ultimately has. He plays as good as the team around him.
IMO our biggest constraint is/was poor roster management and player development will always be our achiles heel until we gain strength and balance in the roster.
The last players we took to their potential were Tedesco and Woods really.
 
All true...but one can reasonably expect our highly renumerated players will actually step up and earn their inflated salaries.Some do..some dont.
Brooks is THE leading example of someone who has let us all down,and most importantly himself,with his less than mediocre performances.
No shortage of intent or committment on his part..hes just gone backwards at a time we expected (and paid for)the opposite
His contribution to our attack is simply indefensible..its zero..maybe worse!
Sure..not the sole problem with this team..but Brooks is a somewhat shocking encapsulation of whats gone wrong with WTS in 2022
Madge plays a huge role too..we look like a team of under 10s in attack
Both gone after season end..no ifs or buts
Horrific
 
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