Luke Brooks #167

[Glenji95]

The truth is I read that first sentence and did not want to waste my time.

Just like you manage to waste everyone’s time with your love and praise for Brooks a player about to hit 200 NRL games and has achieved nothing. He is a failure.

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

We aren't the only club to move Hastings on. Did the other clubs get it wrong as well?

Who knows if the club got it right on Hastings only time will tell, we as a club are not exactly known for making the best decisions recruitment wise... although the club seem to be working hard on turning that around.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

This season we get to see these guys perform. They are going to have a good pre-season. We have a good pack. We have a lot of guys that might come good in the outside backs.

I can't see Brooks being the controlling halfback in this team. Surely the coaching staff get this right. Madge got it right last year.

Note Doueihi's comment in the article posted by Lauren about playing a style of football that suits their (his and Brooks' game?).

 

[earl]

We aren't the only club to move Hastings on. Did the other clubs get it wrong as well?

With his history that suggests off field problems though.

We don't know. We just have to wait and see how we go this season.

I reckon Hastings was pretty good. I think he was our best spine player last season. We also came last. He is slow and he had no long kicking game. Brooks long kicking game is better.

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

This season we get to see these guys perform. They are going to have a good pre-season. We have a good pack. We have a lot of guys that might come good in the outside backs.

I can't see Brooks being the controlling halfback in this team. Surely the coaching staff get this right. Madge got it right last year.

I think this will be Api's role this season & hopefully take some pressure off Brooks.

 

[Glenji95]

I think this will be Api's role this season & hopefully take some pressure off Brooks.

Api will be our main playmaker this season. Club won’t rely on Brooks and Doeuihi to make the plays.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

With his history that suggests off field problems though.

We don't know. We just have to wait and see how we go this season.

I reckon Hastings was pretty good. I think he was our best spine player last season. We also came last. He is slow and he had no long kicking game. Brooks long kicking game is better.

He was clearly not in the eye of Sheens or Marshall. I believe both would know a good half - Alexander, Daley, Stuart, Prince, Marshall and Lui.

 

[earl]

Note Doueihi's comment in the article posted by Lauren about playing a style of football that suits their (his and Brooks' game?).

Yep but players say stuff like this all the time.

I hope the team comes out and plays great but I'm going to hold off and see how they go. The best pre-season I've seen in years and there is a lot to like but it'll be useless if Doueihi and Brooks go for grubbers and kick them dead on the first tackle every time we get into the oppositions half.

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/03...e-to-five-eighth-but-can-the-tigers-make-the/
@pawsandclaws1 Our future head coach seems to think that Luke is best suited to being a 5/8 also.

 

[earl]

Api will be our main playmaker this season. Club won’t rely on Brooks and Doeuihi to make the plays.

They are going to have to make some plays though. Api can't be the sole play maker. It's going to be Brooks and Doueihi on the edges.

I honestly think Doueihi makes more poor decisions than Brooks. I think he is more of a threat with the ball and he is also a threat in the air.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Yep but players say stuff like this all the time.

I hope the team comes out and plays great but I'm going to hold off and see how they go. The best pre-season I've seen in years and there is a lot to like but it'll be useless if Doueihi and Brooks go for grubbers and kick them dead on the first tackle every time we get into the oppositions half.

I take a different view. Get back to the style of football played by WTs traditionally, It is not as though the past 3.5 years were a benchmark in terms of performance or style of football.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/03...e-to-five-eighth-but-can-the-tigers-make-the/
@pawsandclaws1 Our future head coach seems to think that Luke is best suited to being a 5/8 also.

Daley, Lockyer, Lewis, Foran, Fittler all say hello.

 

[Glenji95]

They are going to have to make some plays though. Api can't be the sole play maker. It's going to be Brooks and Doueihi on the edges.

I honestly think Doueihi makes more poor decisions than Brooks. I think he is more of a threat with the ball and he is also a threat in the air.

They’ll make some plays but the main play making is coming from Api. Both have been guilty of making dumb decisions, but Brooks IMO makes more bad choices the Cowboys game in Townsville last year 100% convinced me of that. But Doeuihi isn’t perfect he’s guilty of that as well, but he’s more of a threat when he’s at his best than Brooks is.

 

[earl]

He was clearly not in the eye of Sheens or Marshall. I believe both would know a good half - Alexander, Daley, Stuart, Prince, Marshall and Lui.

I buy your argument. It doesn't change anything though. We have two guys in the halves who we need to perform to a high level and they haven't shown the ability to do that consistently.

Benji is a great example. One of my favorite players. He could do things other players couldn't. When he was old he could still ball play and create something. Unbelievable skill level. At the same time he was inconsistent and defensively he wasn't a rock. We had some bad years with Benji at the club.

Brooks and Doueihi are miles off Benji. I assume this is why we are chasing Moses hard and not offering Brooks or Doueihi any more money. The club don't feel either of them are the guys to be the main playmakers for us going forward.

 

[earl]

I take a different view. Get back to the style of football played by WTs traditionally, It is not as though the past 3.5 years were a benchmark in terms of performance or style of football.

I agree with this. We should be looking to attack. I like what Sheens has done and stated so far this pre-season. I don't know if our squad is good enough though without guys like Brooks and Doueihi having their best seasons ever.

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

haven't shown the ability to do that consistently.

I honestly think AD in 21 showed that he can consistently be a good player for us.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

I buy your argument. It doesn't change anything though. We have two guys in the halves who we need to perform to a high level and they haven't shown the ability to do that consistently.

Benji is a great example. One of my favorite players. He could do things other players couldn't. When he was old he could still ball play and create something. Unbelievable skill level. At the same time he was inconsistent and defensively he wasn't a rock. We had some bad years with Benji at the club.

Brooks and Doueihi are miles off Benji. I assume this is why we are chasing Moses hard and not offering Brooks or Doueihi any more money. The club don't feel either of them are the guys to be the main playmakers for us going forward.

We've rebuilt our forward pack. This provides time and space for the halves to operate. Kenny and Sterling would have had difficulty operting behind last years pack. This is a signficant factor as highlighted by the club's priority to rebuild the pack.

 

[Glenji95]

I honestly think AD in 21 showed that he can consistently be a good player for us.

Doeuihi in 2021 showed that he has potential. Without a doubt his best year for us up until his injury. He’s not perfect but without a doubt he was better than Brooks easily.

 

[earl]

Doeuihi in 2021 showed that he has potential. Without a doubt his best year for us up until his injury. He’s not perfect but without a doubt he was better than Brooks easily.

Maybe but Brooks to me was miles better last season. I don't see it as clear cut that AD is better than Brooks in that running 6/back-up half role.

I'd love them both to kill it next season.

 

[Winston Churchill]

‘It’s everywhere’: Wests Tigers star Luke Brooks opens up on brutal criticism and what he ‘hated’ about ‘next Joey’ talk​

Darcie McDonald from Fox Sports@darciemcdonald
January 25th, 2023 6:54 am

No current NRL player is criticised more than Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks.
The 28-year-old has borne the brunt of the club’s failures over the last decade and as a result has seemingly developed a very thick skin, conceding: “I’m sort of used to it now.”
But his halves partner Adam Doueihi can see through the tough front and revealed it “does have an effect on him.”

Brooks has 189 NRL games to his name and a Dally M Halfback of the Year trophy to boot. But he also carries the unwanted record of most games played without a finals appearance — a stat he is often reminded of.

Criticism has consistently been thrown in his direction over the last few years, but it reached boiling point in the opening months of last season.

He was targeted after the Tigers lost their first five games of the year — their worst start in club history. The barrage of criticism forced chairman Lee Hagipantelis to jump to his defence, calling it “excessive” as well as “unwarranted and unhealthy.”

Brooks also fired back at his critics at the time with: “A lot of people have never done anything in the game, so I couldn’t care less what they say about me.”

And he backed it up the very next game, setting up two tries in the Tigers’ first win of the season — a one-point upset over eventual grand finalists, the Eels.

Hastings took the opportunity to put an arm around his teammate, urging the media and fans to “get off his back for a week,” before declaring “what a performance,” in a post-game interview.

“I guess it’s a part of it,” he shrugged

“When you’re going good you get all the raps so it goes hand-in-hand.

“I’m sort of used to it now, but as long as my teammates and the staff are happy with me then that’s all that matters.

“I try to stay away from it (the negativity)... Sometimes it can be hard though because it’s everywhere and people ask you about it but as much as I can, I try not to read into it.

“I learnt that a long time ago.”

However Doueihi has a tougher time with it because he believes the targeted criticism actually does take its toll on Brooks.

“Obviously it hurts seeing him (cop criticism) because I see the work that he does in the pre-season and during the season,” he told foxsports.com.au.

“It does have an effect on him — I can see that.

“He’s had a really good pre-season this year, it’s been more enjoyable for myself and him. We have a clear picture of how we want to play, there’s a style of footy this year that suits both our games and we’ve enjoyed that.

“Hopefully we can start the season good and have some positive media reports about him and about the club for a change.

“Winning stops all negative media reports so the more we can win the better it is for everyone.”

Brooks has always had the attention of media. In fact, there were already stories being written about him before he had made his NRL debut — that’s how highly-regarded he was as a kid.

He was a Tigers junior that played Australian Schoolboys and took the club’s SG Ball team to a premiership.

He was also dubbed the next Andrew Johns.

Brooks got his debut as a fresh-faced 18-year-old in 2013 and lived up to expectations, scoring a try and setting up two more to earn man of the match honours.

But all that hype and attention was exactly what he didn’t want.

“When I came in (to first grade), I hadn’t even played a game and I was getting raps — I hated that,” Brooks said.

“I just didn’t know how to take it, I would rather just be quiet and out of the media. But I guess whether it’s good or bad I just try not to read it.

“Even when my when dad would watch an NRL show and my name popped up, I’d just go awkward. I hated being at home when he was watching the NRL shows.

“Just from a young age I’ve felt uncomfortable with it.”

Unfortunately for Brooks he’s set for another season in the headlines whether the Tigers go well or not because he’s coming off contract.

His contract situation somewhat slipped under the radar over the off-season — a relief for him given this time last year it was reported every day that he had signed with the Knights.

“To be honest I haven’t really thought about it too much,” Brooks said when asked about his next contract.

“It’s kind of been good, the past few years there’s always been stuff about me going or staying so it’s been good to have a pre-season where there hasn’t been any chat.

“I’ve been able to focus on footy and that’s all I can do. When that comes up it’ll come up but at the moment I’m just focused on playing footy.”

Brooks confirmed that “there’s been talks” with the club about a potential new deal but he is in no rush, adding: “we’ll worry about it when it comes.”

Should the Tigers re-sign Brooks, it’s expected it’ll be on less than the reported $1.1 million he stands to earn this season.

But he can prove his worth by steering the club to their first finals appearance since 2011 — and can use the help of the several big-name recruits, including three-time premiership-winning hooker Api Koroisau to do that.

“You can already tell the difference he makes,” Brooks said of Koroisau.

“What he does around the ruck helps me so much, it’ll take a lot of pressure off me because other teams’ defence will be focused on him and what he’s doing around the ruck.

“I’m really looking forward to playing with ‘Ice’ (Isaiah Papali’i), I think he’s someone that will suit my game,” he added.

“He’s a good hole-running back-rower, but also in defence he’s a good quality player and you can really see that when we’re out on the field training.”

Brooks also fired back at his critics at the time with: “A lot of people have never done anything in the game, so I couldn’t care less what they say about me.”

The irony