carltonleach
Well-known member
Has anyone got the Luke brooks thing on the daily telegraph something about us retaining him but on less coin?
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
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Jedi_Tiger
Well-known member
Tim Sheens has issued a hands off warning to the Newcastle Knights, insisting Luke Brooks will be staying at Wests Tigers next season.
And despite Brooks last month hinting his time at the club might be coming to an end, Sheens said the Tigers are keen to extend his contract beyond 2023, when he is due to earn a reported $1.1 million.
“Obviously everyone would prefer for it to be at less money,” Sheens said.
“But we can sit down and negotiate with him and extend his contract out.”
It comes in the countdown to Sunday’s clash between the two clubs amid renewed speculation that the Knights are still desperate to tempt Brooks out of the Tigers for 2023.
The talk won’t go away that Brooks may have played his last game for the Tigers after going down with a season-ending calf injury last week.
Knights legend Andrew Johns was a driving force in trying to entice Brooks to Newcastle at the end of last year following Mitchell Pearce’s shock departure.
Johns went on the record saying he thought Brooks needed a change of scenery and that he could help the game’s most maligned playmaker fulfil his massive potential.
Johns recently signed an extension to stay on Adam O’Brien’s coaching staff next season, and some in Newcastle believe signing Brooks could be the key to saving O’Brien’s job as huge pressure builds on the Knights coach.
It was Sheens who stepped in last year and declared that Brooks would not be released.
Now Sheens has doubled down, adamant he and Tigers coach-in-waiting Benji Marshall want Brooks long term.
“I will stand by what I said,” Sheens said.
“On the record, he is contracted. Point blank.
“He is contracted to us next year. And I expect him to turn up for pre-season training.”
Sheens was just as confident that he and Benji could help bring the best out in Brooks, just as Johns thinks he can.
He even reminded us that under Ivan Cleary in 2018 Brooks was crowned Dally M halfback of the year.
“Ring Benj, he will tell you,” Sheens said. “Look, I rate the kid. He is a one club player.
“I think we can certainly between Marshall and myself bring him back into the game as the seven he was and he is.”
Asked if he could guarantee Brooks would be at the club next season, Sheens added: “Unless the world changes that is what I am doing.
“Honestly, can I ever say yes to anything? No one can.
“But I am not indicating (he is leaving) and I have told you, I mean it, I like the kid and I want him in the side.
“Benji loves him and wants him in the side. But we can’t say any more than that.”
Sheens said it was his intention to keep Brooks and Doueihi together as the halves combination, with Jackson Hastings the ball playing lock.
Sheens also has a good opinion of young Jock Madden but sees him as a work in progress given his limited experience.
Brooks, Doueihi and Hastings are all off contract at the end of next season, along with fullback Daine Laurie.
That is why Sheens insisted interim coach Brett Kimmorley moved Hastings to lock to accommodate all of them in the starting side before the club started any extension talks.
Unfortunately that plan has been put on hold with both Brooks and Hastings suffering season ending injuries.
“That is the only thing I really stood up and said,” Sheens explained. “I am not taking credit for it or anything like that.
“All I am saying is I said that was the way it was going to happen.
“We needed to look at it for the rest of this year before we made a decision (on the future) because I thought that was the best way it would work.
“And certainly with me coaching next year that will be the way it is going to work. It is only unfortunate now we have a situation with two of them out for the year
And despite Brooks last month hinting his time at the club might be coming to an end, Sheens said the Tigers are keen to extend his contract beyond 2023, when he is due to earn a reported $1.1 million.
“Obviously everyone would prefer for it to be at less money,” Sheens said.
“But we can sit down and negotiate with him and extend his contract out.”
It comes in the countdown to Sunday’s clash between the two clubs amid renewed speculation that the Knights are still desperate to tempt Brooks out of the Tigers for 2023.
The talk won’t go away that Brooks may have played his last game for the Tigers after going down with a season-ending calf injury last week.
Knights legend Andrew Johns was a driving force in trying to entice Brooks to Newcastle at the end of last year following Mitchell Pearce’s shock departure.
Johns went on the record saying he thought Brooks needed a change of scenery and that he could help the game’s most maligned playmaker fulfil his massive potential.
Johns recently signed an extension to stay on Adam O’Brien’s coaching staff next season, and some in Newcastle believe signing Brooks could be the key to saving O’Brien’s job as huge pressure builds on the Knights coach.
It was Sheens who stepped in last year and declared that Brooks would not be released.
Now Sheens has doubled down, adamant he and Tigers coach-in-waiting Benji Marshall want Brooks long term.
“I will stand by what I said,” Sheens said.
“On the record, he is contracted. Point blank.
“He is contracted to us next year. And I expect him to turn up for pre-season training.”
Sheens was just as confident that he and Benji could help bring the best out in Brooks, just as Johns thinks he can.
He even reminded us that under Ivan Cleary in 2018 Brooks was crowned Dally M halfback of the year.
“Ring Benj, he will tell you,” Sheens said. “Look, I rate the kid. He is a one club player.
“I think we can certainly between Marshall and myself bring him back into the game as the seven he was and he is.”
Asked if he could guarantee Brooks would be at the club next season, Sheens added: “Unless the world changes that is what I am doing.
“Honestly, can I ever say yes to anything? No one can.
“But I am not indicating (he is leaving) and I have told you, I mean it, I like the kid and I want him in the side.
“Benji loves him and wants him in the side. But we can’t say any more than that.”
Sheens said it was his intention to keep Brooks and Doueihi together as the halves combination, with Jackson Hastings the ball playing lock.
Sheens also has a good opinion of young Jock Madden but sees him as a work in progress given his limited experience.
Brooks, Doueihi and Hastings are all off contract at the end of next season, along with fullback Daine Laurie.
That is why Sheens insisted interim coach Brett Kimmorley moved Hastings to lock to accommodate all of them in the starting side before the club started any extension talks.
Unfortunately that plan has been put on hold with both Brooks and Hastings suffering season ending injuries.
“That is the only thing I really stood up and said,” Sheens explained. “I am not taking credit for it or anything like that.
“All I am saying is I said that was the way it was going to happen.
“We needed to look at it for the rest of this year before we made a decision (on the future) because I thought that was the best way it would work.
“And certainly with me coaching next year that will be the way it is going to work. It is only unfortunate now we have a situation with two of them out for the year
carltonleach
Well-known member
Sorry mate I didn’t mean to piss anyone off, I only noticed an article about said player and just wanted an update.
Pascoes_barber
Well-known member
Nobody is coming.
Hopefully Brooks is going.
Hopefully Brooks is going.
Chicken_Faced_Killa
Well-known member
Cut off was 5pm.
TheDaBoss
Well-known member
Slieght of hand sheens maybe
LeichhardtTiger
Well-known member
Brooks who?
LeichhardtTiger
Well-known member
Somewhere in the World it is 5.00 pm
Not the slightest bit happy or impressed by what has been said by sheens in this article, I can see another major wests tigers stuff up coming with extending Mr hopeless for another 5 years and losing the real talent elsewhere to come back and bite us in the arse. There will be NO premiership wins if this is the outcome.
tony soprano
Well-known member
Luke Brooks commits to life contract
Westsboi2019
Well-known member
Why can't Brooks just stand up for himself and request his release? The guy is a grown man and obviously doesn't want to be here, what's stopping him?
Around 500k has been wiped off the salary cap next season with the departures of Mikaele and Luciano early and the loans of Gildart and Nofoaluma.
Pole and Nu Brown to be upgraded to top 30 (unsure of the last spot).
Gildart, Liddle, Roberts, Peachey and Tuki will all likely be gone this off season. Jake Simpkin may also leave either on loan or permanently.
Benji and Sheens have been putting in the ground work with managers and players to land some decent talent for next season. Still over 1mil available in the cap for next season. With some luck there could be a few big name players come available in the offseason.
Pole and Nu Brown to be upgraded to top 30 (unsure of the last spot).
Gildart, Liddle, Roberts, Peachey and Tuki will all likely be gone this off season. Jake Simpkin may also leave either on loan or permanently.
Benji and Sheens have been putting in the ground work with managers and players to land some decent talent for next season. Still over 1mil available in the cap for next season. With some luck there could be a few big name players come available in the offseason.
C
Cobarcats
Guest
The well is drying up.
Alex Seyfarth's #1 Fan
Well-known member
We miss Geo.
So is the 500k in addition to the 1m+ we have for next year? Or 1m+ total?
balmain boy
Well-known member
What are we doing with the 500k we have left in the cap for this season? Seems like we're just plodding along doing nothing.
And surely there's almost 2 million left for next season. We've been front loading caps for years, where's the end benefit? We must have heaps up our sleeve. We've played the whole season with roster spots free too. $1 million buys us one good player. We need much more
CocaCola
Active member
The club needs to extend Naden beyond 2023 before other clubs circle next year.
Junior Dig
Well-known member
100%
With the blokes that have left already plus the forward paid contracts and the list of rumoured exits at the end of this season surely we’d have more than $2mil available
all good brother