Luke Brooks - Mega Thread

[BZN]

I think you’s are all being a bit hard on Brooks. He tries hard but personally I think his problem is that he just simply doesn’t have the brains or footy smarts to be a footballer. Doesn’t matter where you play him 7,6 or even 9 he just doesn’t have it between the ears.
Coming thru juniors he had the speed to beat other players and Moses to lean on but in the big league it just doesn’t cut it. That’s why every thing he does is premeditated and nothing off the cuff. Sometimes he gets lucky, most of the time he doesn’t.

I feel Brooks is a confidence player something similar to Moses, in that if the blokes around him are going well he can lift his game similar to the way Moses lifts, but goes into his shell and makes silly decisions due to pressure when things around him aren't going well.

 

[The Fresh Oil]

This guy 🤣

Reason #849 brooks is rubbish. The cumulative playing total of players around Brooks is not correct and makes Brooks go full Brooks.

 

[balmain boy]

Surely there's no-one on here who still thinks he adds anything to the team?

He was the worst playmaker on the field yesterday, got out performed by Penriths 2 NSW Cup halves. Meanwhile Madden's kicking game was aggressive and confident in nsw cup. He has to start next week..!

 

[BZN]

I mean, as someone else said, and I think is the new catch cry. Just because someone says it’s true does not make it so. Yet, there will inevitably be meltdowns galore as usual when he is named again on Tuesday. People are just torturing themselves at this point.

How about "I feel" blah blah blah.
No one can feel exactly what you are feeling [thinking] therefore you cannot be told your feelings are wrong imo.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

How about "I feel" blah blah blah.
No one can feel exactly what you are feeling [thinking] therefore you cannot be told your feelings are wrong imo.

That’s why I say you don’t have to like the situation. But you need to see it for it is.

 

[stryker 69]

Thats not what my sarcasm was referring too. I’ve only ever tried to see the reality of the situation. And you can’t talk reality in a topic that’s as highly charged as Luke Brooks

So why do you bother?

 

[GNR4LIFE]

So why do you bother?

Good question

 

[batboy]

Mate, even as a ‘running 5/8’ he regularly failed to record big numbers. Taking 5 or 6 runs does not make you a running 5/8.
Doueihi showed in the second half yesterday what a running 5/8 looks like. Attacking the line aggressively and scoring.

Backrower playing at 6

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Right but Doueihi scored a wonderful solo try and almost jagged another to AJ, which swung the momentum of the game.

You can't just single out one moment of the match against one player, if that same player also contributed personally to the success of the day.

Joe Offa missed the final tackle on JFH, but I am not going to be overly critical about the guy given he worked his arse off all match.

Brooks on the other hand, typically, was barely present and rarely a threat. Doueihi was an obvious threat, caused Penrith obvious problems. Tigers need threat, we can't continue to have blokes like Brooks, Garner, Kelma, AJ Kepaoa, Musgrove etc. put in absolutely middling 5/10 performances.

Brooks was singled out last week in that one moment for the kick. It is selective depending on which player.

Brooks had a hand in one try on the left and had a hand in two others down the left which weren't awarded. Just unfortunate due to rookie players who will learn. He created a few opportunities so I do not agree that he was barely present. In addition, he had Kepaoa and Tupou on his left and took charge of that side which defensively did well,

In the end, Sheens and Marshall want Brooks. I agree we need them.

 

[Demps]

Brooks was singled out last week in that one moment for the kick. It is selective depending on which player.

Brooks had a hand in one try on the left and had a hand in two others down the left which weren't awarded. Just unfortunate due to rookie players who will learn. He created a few opportunities so I do not agree that he was barely present. In addition, he had Kepaoa and Tupou on his left and took charge of that side which defensively did well,

In the end, Sheens and Marshall want Brooks. I agree we need him.

And thus we can get use to further bottom 8 finishes.

Great.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

And thus we can get use to further bottom 8 finishes.

Great.

No one likes being at the foot of the table. The rumours are growing in the Gong about Griffin which is sad because I like him as a coach.

 

[Champ1]

How can you guarantee that?
Cleary is a better kicker, better defender, better ball player and has a bigger body which makes him very dangerous when running it close to the line.

A yet running with the best forwards NSW has to offer & still couldnt deliver a win. Thank you for making my point for for me.

 

[Telltails]

We had more possession.
We had a better completion rate.
We kicked for more meters.
They had twice as many errors
They conceded more penalties.
They had more ineffective tackles.
They had more ruck infringements.
We had 8 players post more than 100m with two others in the high 90’s.

Cleary couldn’t wipe the smile off his face that he rested so many, the team played so poorly and yet they won.

That's when stats do tell the story

 

[KevB]

Brooks is number 3 in the pecking order as illustrated by his stats and involvement every week.
When Hastings was half he’d rack up 100 touches a game Brooks 47
When Brooks was a running 5/8 he’d rack up 50 meters a game Doueihi 116 and Hastings always outdid him as well.
Brooks is supposedly our best defensive half. Hastings and Doueihi both racked up better stats.
We are told he has a great long kick. Doueihi racked up 5 x as man meters.
One line break assist, no try assists, no tries
Hastings passed the ball 20 more times playing lock.
What exactly does he bring to the team?

It does look fairly impressive to handle the ball 100 times but surely what you do with it is the most important stat (if there is a stat for this). My greatest concern with Hastings is his lack of pace and ability to create space for his support players. I would back Brooks's defense over Hastings and Doueihi any day of the week mate.

 

[earl]

A yet running with the best forwards NSW has to offer & still couldnt deliver a win. Thank you for making my point for for me.

Not just that. He came up with a lot of poor options.

 

[Needaname]

It does look fairly impressive to handle the ball 100 times but surely what you do with it is the most important stat (if there is a stat for this). My greatest concern with Hastings is his lack of pace and ability to create space for his support players. I would back Brooks's defense over Hastings and Doueihi any day of the week mate.

Yes. Unfortunately Brooks is in the side because of his pace. It certainly isn’t to be the general play kicker.
It’s a null argument really. Each of the half’s have skills which keep them at the level they are playing at, but equally they have just as many flaws in their game that has stopped them from achieving greater.
Doueihi just looks like a backrower out there that has a decent boot and plays as such, minus the defence (which is shocking)
Hastings was really just playing halfback between the scrum lines and running it on play 4th (standard lock role). His knock on ability is he doesn’t have the acceleration to capitalise on a running play like Brooks can and potentially is more suited to being a middle forward.
And Brooks is has that speed but often runs back inside trying to step through the line instead of continuing wide to beat his man. In shift plays he plays like a second fullback that will also put up a kick if he needs to though rarely is it effective enough for a decent chase.
In additional to that Nu Brown is a 5/8 / ball playing lock that is playing hooker.
And Laurie well he made the wrong decision coming here.

 

[Champ1]

He doesn’t have good defense. He misses more tackles than 99% of players in the comp. Last 5yrs has been in the top 5-10 players for missed tackles. This year he is 6 tackles away from hitting last years mark.

Yes he can put on a hit but he gets brushed off and gets caught out of position a heap which impacts other players around him + then drives others to force coverage incase creating inside space.

Tell all the stats to give the true perspective.
Brooks tackles made (TM) 384 misses (M) 4.38 tackles per game (PG)
Cleary TM - 215 M - 3.08 PG
Hughes TM- 200 M- 3.13 PG
Moses TM -267 M- 3.41 PG
Clearly, Brooks is forced to make A MILE MORE tackles than all these other top halfbacks . Of course there is going to be more misses. Cleary makes basically HALF the tackles a game Brooks does & Brooks only misses 1.3 tackles more a game.
Once again , it is clear that all the top sides forwards do their job & sheild their playmakers from making those tackles.
And for the record, Cleary averages one try assist per game with all that talent around him.
Brooks averages .5 with limited talent around him. Imagine Brooks making half the tackles he does now, Penriths talent around him running holes & competing for his kicks & a set of dominating forwards.
But boys dont let the truth get in the way of a good story. Keep bagging Brooks till he leaves & then you can start over on Doughie or Hastings or whoever else takes your fancy.

 

[earl]

Doueihi just looks like a backrower out there that has a decent boot and plays as such, minus the defence (which is shocking)

His defense is a real worry isn't it. He misreads plays and he gets targeted.

Still he can bust the line, throw a good long pass and he has a bomb that is second only to Burton's.

 

[earl]

Clearly, Brooks is forced to make A MILE MORE tackles than all these other top halfbacks . Of course there is going to be more misses.

He is good defender. Much better than Doueihi and Hastings. His haters conveniently use statistics that give a false impression.

You provided a lot more depth in your statistics which provides a much better representation of his defense.

 

[SeanT]

I'm lost for answers

That's where I'm at as well. I have no idea how this team improves. Feel sorry for Papalii and API to be honest.