Luke Brooks #167

stevied said:
As I said on the Team List thread, give Brooks until Round 4 to cut his schoolboy errors and provide leadership in the team. There have been enough excuses provided and opportunities given. A few games in KOE Cup could build his confidence, which I think is his main problem and area holding him back. He simply cannot deal with the pressure to produce the right play, especially now that the team behind him is stronger.
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Demoting him to KOE, will do his already frail confidence a world of good…😂
 
Jolls said:
I agree, he isn't the player to build the team around and I think we will be hurt this season with a lack of real strike in the backs; however, we have set ourselves up for a much improved 2024 should we manage to land a couple.

He is playing for his career so I trust we see a vast improvement on what we saw last week. Despite the flaws last week the one positive is that he is running and looking to do something. Now we just need to add some Benji and Sheens magic to that and we will be sweet (in a world full of unicorns, dragons and fairies).
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I wont bag Brooks for his effort last week,while my emotions were running high because I expected a win after the Raiders trial,he is coming back from an injury and a long lay off...
Its all up to him this year to show us why he has been resigned year after year on the back of his hype and talent...
 
tigerap said:
Demoting him to KOE, will do his already frail confidence a world of good…😂
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Agree. I want Brooks gone after this year, but now that we have worse back up in the halves than we did last year, we have no option but to keep him in first grade.

As you said, he is not the player that will be improved by being dropped. He will likely go and cry in a corner and his form will drop further.
 
weststigerman said:
As you said, he is not the player that will be improved by being dropped. He will likely go and cry in a corner and his form will drop further.
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I disagree. KOE is not at the same level and performing at that level and gaining confidence and then going up to me is a good option for Brooks.

I think they should have picked him there last week though.

I don't know Brooks personally but I don't get the impression he is a sook.
 
Earl said:
I disagree. KOE is not at the same level and performing at that level and gaining confidence and then going up to me is a good option for Brooks.

I think they should have picked him there last week though.

I don't know Brooks personally but I don't get the impression he is a sook.
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What I meant is he's a confidence player. I don't think he'll take being dropped as an opportunity to work on his game, he will take it as he's not good enough and shatter his confidence even more.

Just my opinion, we're just speculating. I don't think he'll get dropped to NSW Cup though this year.
 
This is the last year and last chance..

I give him a pass if we get into the top 8, but in saying that.. 1 year contract.

If he then gets us into the 8 again the following year I'd probably give him a longer contract.
 
tigerap said:
Demoting him to KOE, will do his already frail confidence a world of good…😂
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Ok, let me qualify that. He is showing no confidence in his play making ability in first grade at the moment, probably as a result of the weight of expectation (something he should be over of by now I know), even more so with a few new quality players around him who rely on his play making. By playing at a tier below, against lower level opposition and with the chance to shine, he might actually rebuild his self belief. Of course he will be disappointed and it will be a psychological blow for him but tough love is what he needs.
 
weststigerman said:
Agree. I want Brooks gone after this year, but now that we have worse back up in the halves than we did last year, we have no option but to keep him in first grade.

As you said, he is not the player that will be improved by being dropped. He will likely go and cry in a corner and his form will drop further.
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What do you suggest as an alternative then? Nothing else has worked over the past 10 years. So we're expected to keep praying that his form will miraculously transform? We need to be proactive about a situation that has been a real thorn in our side for a long, long time. Give him two games, as I said.
 
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stevied said:
What do you suggest as an alternative then? Nothing else has worked over the past 9 years. So we're expected to keep praying that his form will miraculously transform? We need to be proactive about a situation that has been a real thorn in our side for a long, long time. Give him two games, as I said.
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I thought Madden and Hastings were both better options than Brooks.

Now that we have lost both of them we have no alternatives for 2023. I hope for 2024 we are being proactive.

There is no point doing anything now because Sheens runs the club and has decided on Brooks for 2023.
 
weststigerman said:
I thought Madden and Hastings were both better options than Brooks.

Now that we have lost both of them we have no alternatives for 2023. I hope for 2024 we are being proactive.

There is no point doing anything now because Sheens runs the club and has decided on Brooks for 2023.
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He has, unfortunately, but if Brooks ends up being crap, other options have to be considered. Promote Wakeham, tell him to keep it simple and tackle, while asking AD and Api to share the ball play. Don't forget, I am saying what I think SHOULD happen. We all know what a stubborn mule Sheens can be and that he has his favourites.
 
stevied said:
As I said on the Team List thread, give Brooks until Round 4 to cut his schoolboy errors and provide leadership in the team. There have been enough excuses provided and opportunities given. A few games in KOE Cup could build his confidence, which I think is his main problem and area holding him back. He simply cannot deal with the pressure to produce the right play, especially now that the team behind him is stronger.
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Give him to just round 4 in his 11th season to cut out his schoolboy errors??? Bit harsh

Season 15-17 is when he'll come good. Stick with the plan.
 
Jolls said:
Disclaimer: I'm having a bit of a stab here as I don't know Luke Brooks, and as a rural supporter I have to get all of my "inside knowledge" from WTF, reading between the lines on the internet and what I see on the idiot box.

Consistently we have heard from the media that the coaching staff "want Brooks at the club" or it is "Luke Brooks team". There must be some credence to the claims given it has been trolled out season after season. We have recently heard Benji and Sheens talk about how much effort he has put into the pre season and how they want him at the club. Over the years I have never heard any of our players say anything negative about him (well openly anyway). So there has to be something that we "the unwashed" are missing.

We have seen his game change over time - he has gone from being a reasonably dynamic player on debut to one dimensional under Madge. Even during the dark ages of Madge's reign we saw touches of the dynamic Brooks among some dour performances.

Why is it that supporters are baying for blood but LB is as consistently as clockwork selected in the team?

Let's take the monkey off the back of for a minute. If we look at the teams over the last ten years or so, for the most part, our rosters, year in and year out, would have been lucky to pull the skin off a wet custard. This isn't a LB issue this is poor management by the club and the selection committee. Naturally the focus is on the halfback and his decision making as he is the one out on the field. But it must be more than that. I mean five hit ups and a bomb under Madge with our roster was never a smart plan. But we executed it - week in week out and despite everyone outside calling for the blood of Brooks he had the full support of Madge. Why?

This is where I am going out on a limb. Is it because Brooks is a genuine team first player? Is he the kid that does exactly what the coach tells him to do to the letter? Does he rigidly stick to the game plan because that is what he has been told to deliver?

At the end of the season before last I wanted Brooks trained as a hooker over the off season to try and turn him into a Damian Cook type weapon. Why, because he was ineffective as a half and we had him on a long contract. Last season sort of confirmed it for me that as a halfback he was a shocker. I know I'm not alone in that camp.

But what if we have got it all wrong?

What if, he is that unselfish player that literally puts the team first? What if his continued selection is linked to his ability to execute exactly what the coaching staff have been asking for? I know... "he has had ten years to prove his worth" etc, etc, etc. OK, if he has been that bad why has coach after coach persisted with him?

We can only surmise that the coaching staff are being delivered what they have been asking for. Otherwise he would surely be gone as this is a professional sport (although you would wonder at times the way we have been managed).

I saw a different LB last week to the one we were accustomed to seeing over the last four seasons. Sure it was clunky and there were mistakes but if he has been asked to play eyes up footy (which I think they all have) and make the most of second phase play he may have some upside. He hasn't played footy for a long while due to injury but last week we almost immediately started to see him run the ball - doing exactly what Sheens said he wanted him to do during the off season interviews.

Sure, he made some poor choices, he threw some shocking passes and his game was clunky; but it was a significant change from what we saw from him last year. Have LB and AD, been given permission to play eyes up football and pop up on either side of the field supporting each other? I hope so - I though we saw a couple of glimpses of that last week in an otherwise average attacking performance.

I expect to be lynched - but I think he and AD need a few together before we feed him to the sharks.
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Good post Jolls. I suspect that Brooks is also being held against his will, lol. I realise how that may sound, but there are probably others too, maybe Nofa? Both couldn’t go anywhere due to their contract conditions, and now that Brooks is in his final year Benji has seemingly talked him around to staying.
The odd thing about round 1 was that Doueihi was apparently told to manage the game, while Brooks was told to run at every opportunity. It was apparent that instructions were reversed at half time. So I really don’t understand the Brooks bashing? Both he and Doueihi are following instructions to the letter, apart from a couple of fumbles. People need to reconsider how their views of a traditional 7 or 6 fit with our current coaching staff’s instructions.
 
stevied said:
He has, unfortunately, but if Brooks ends up being crap, other options have to be considered. Promote Wakeham, tell him to keep it simple and tackle, while asking AD and Api to share the ball play. Don't forget, I am saying what I think SHOULD happen. We all know what a stubborn mule Sheens can be and that he has his favourites.
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wakeham is not first grade standard like Madden
By all means buy someone for 2024 but don't be silly about 2023, Brooks is the only 7 we have
 
Jedi_Tiger said:
do I have to say it....
ok I will
former Dally m halfback of the year
very confident wakeham will never be winning any type of Dally m award much like Jock
As I said 2024 go for your life recruit a quality 7 dont re-sign brooks but in 2023 brooks is the best 7 at the club
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okay so your argument was a dally M he won half a decade ago, with many of his try involvements due to C Lawrence running a nice line? see what I mean? I'm sure milford was playing decently have a decade ago, dolphins may as well play him hey

i still cannot believe in his 10 years since debut hes never been given a stint in reserve grade, probably the biggest disservice to himself really
 
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