100% correct that Sheens and Co. made a dud call on Brooks and AD. Maybe Benji's input on Brooks from when they were in the same team or simply not wanting to unbalance the cap during the rebuild. Who knows? AD was probably selected at 5/8 by 50% of the forum as well so at least half of us were just as bad at identifying talent as they were.
While I am not a fan of Brooks or AD if they are in the run on team, as a coaching staff, they must be supported. How would it go down if Sheenius came out and said AD is not the best fullback in the team, but he is a good bloke and the rest of the team thinks he should get a run or that Brooks is shite but he is the best we've got. We were hoping for more, but he has shown he's not a halfback's arse so we're playing him at 5/8 and letting him wear the 7 for his mental health?
AD at 5/8 was clubs player of the year before his injury, Brooks was Dally M halfback of the year (once upon a time) and is on a squillion $. I expect that they took, based on some form of risk analysis, a clear decision to invest in a dominant forward back to enable Brooks and AD. They got it wrong. Brooks and AD are duds.
We have made plays at Munster, Moses and now Pearce. The club clearly knows what we need so it isn't a complete circus. The leaks and rumours, until Pearce, had all but dried up. I doubt that the Pearce thing is of our own making - of what benefit would anyone at WT get from leaking that? I expect the leak came form Pearce's end; either his manager or Catalans. Shit, if they aren't out there making enquiries I would be pissed off.
So is it a circus?
Did they make a shit decision on Hastings and Brooks, for 2023, it sure looks it but is this really about 2023.
I'm just going to throw this out there. Is it at all possible that Sheens is the front man to take the heat for the hard decisions that have to be made to get to 2025? Did they keep Brooks simply to keep the cap healthy so we could build a pack and then make plays at the top halves and fullbacks?
Alternatively; is the Brooks decision based on the belief that Sheens and Benji could unlock some brilliance after ten years of mediocrity? Did they really believe that AD would turn into the next Jack Wighton or Latrell Mitchell? Given we were all in on Moses and AD only got a 12 month extension. Throw in Daine Laurie and I think they are were placeholders. Placeholders that I suspect were a known risk in 2023, but placeholders I don't think anyone expected to play so bad, at the same time, consistently.
Circus? No. Clown show? You better believe it.
I was not in on AD or Brooks, but I did think we would see a much better showing than we have from both of them (and Daino for that matter). AD has been appalling and is a shadow of what we saw in 2021. Brooks is just more of the same behind a dominant pack. Who would have guessed?
We've just got to trust, for 2023, that Wakeham develops with time in the seat, Brooks' timing and decisions improve and AD learns to do something useful. If that does happen, maybe, just maybe, we can finish above the Dragons.
