Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

The thing is hasn’t Brooks been on the market for yonks? I’m ok with him going the thing that worry’s me is we probably didn’t have a back up to him going. Someone mentioned Sanders and Fainu is who we are chasing hard, if that comes off keep Wakeham and give the kids a run with blocked paths.
 
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KingRobbie said:

NRL transfer news: Luke Brooks rejects Wests Tigers, will leave club after 2023 season​

For so long the whipping boy at the Wests Tigers, maligned halfback Luke Brooks has left the club shell-shocked after negotiations on a new deal took a dramatic twist.
Brent Read and Michael Carayannis
June 11, 2023 - 1:29PM

Wests Tigers star Luke Brooks has dropped a bombshell on the club after informing them of his plans to leave at the end of the season.

Brooks had a two-year extension on the table from the club but it is understood he informed assistant coach Benji Marshall on Sunday morning that he would not be taking up the deal.

It means Brooks will head to the open market, where is expected to attract offers from the NRL and Super League.

The 28-year-old has been a constant at the Tigers since making his debut as an 18-year-old, playing more than 200 games for the club and winning the Dally M halfback of the year award in 2018.

In recent years he has become a lightning rod for criticism as the Tigers have struggled.

Brooks has more often than not been the whipping boy at the club but he has responded in recent weeks by producing some of the best form of his career, prompting coach Tim Sheens and Marshall to push the club to table an extension for the next two seasons.

However, it is understood the club was pushing Brooks for a response and he has opted to seek greener pastures after more than a decade at his boyhood club.

MORE TO COME
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Brooks to Parra 5/8 2024 and beyond, just saying

If he happens to win a premiership with Moses, not sure how I'd feel though
 
As I said earlier, the whole Brooks is leaving the Tigers is News Corp clickbait, HE HAS ONLY REJECTED OUR INITIAL OFFER, sounds pretty standard Isaac Moses negotiation to me. Read further ...

SMH: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/lu...ar-stint-at-season-s-end-20230611-p5dfoq.html

Luke Brooks has rejected the Wests Tigers’ extension offer and plans to leave the club at the end of the season, though chairman Lee Hagipantelis has not ruled out another bid to keep the much-maligned No.7 at his junior club.

Brooks rang assistant coach Benji Marshall, who takes over from Tim Sheens in 2025, on Sunday morning to personally inform him he would not take up the Tigers’ offer.

This masthead understands that the Tigers board approved a three-year extension offer to be tabled to Brooks recently, with the 28-year-old deciding instead to go to market.

Hagipantelis declined to go into specifics on the offer, but he said the club could be willing to revisit negotiations given Brooks’ sparkling form of late in an improved run of recent Tigers performances.

“Luke rang Benji himself and communicated to him that the offer made by the club wasn’t acceptable,” Hagipantelis told this masthead on Sunday.

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“We believe that we had made what we considered to be an attractive offer, managed in accordance with salary cap expectations moving forwards. Luke’s perfectly entitled to accept or reject the offer and test the market, which he’s intending to do.

“The offer made by the club has been formally rejected. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the door is closed. If Luke or his manager came to us with a proposal it would receive proper consideration.”
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
As I said earlier, the whole Brooks is leaving the Tigers is News Corp clickbait, HE HAS ONLY REJECTED OUR INITIAL OFFER, sounds pretty standard Isaac Moses negotiation to me. Read further ...

SMH: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/lu...ar-stint-at-season-s-end-20230611-p5dfoq.html

Luke Brooks has rejected the Wests Tigers’ extension offer and plans to leave the club at the end of the season, though chairman Lee Hagipantelis has not ruled out another bid to keep the much-maligned No.7 at his junior club.

Brooks rang assistant coach Benji Marshall, who takes over from Tim Sheens in 2025, on Sunday morning to personally inform him he would not take up the Tigers’ offer.

This masthead understands that the Tigers board approved a three-year extension offer to be tabled to Brooks recently, with the 28-year-old deciding instead to go to market.

Hagipantelis declined to go into specifics on the offer, but he said the club could be willing to revisit negotiations given Brooks’ sparkling form of late in an improved run of recent Tigers performances.

“Luke rang Benji himself and communicated to him that the offer made by the club wasn’t acceptable,” Hagipantelis told this masthead on Sunday.

Loading
“We believe that we had made what we considered to be an attractive offer, managed in accordance with salary cap expectations moving forwards. Luke’s perfectly entitled to accept or reject the offer and test the market, which he’s intending to do.

“The offer made by the club has been formally rejected. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the door is closed. If Luke or his manager came to us with a proposal it would receive proper consideration.”
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That's how I read it too. But it's a tigers article.
Got to squeeze all the juice out, we'll revise offer
 
Updated DT article:

Wests Tigers star Luke Brooks has dropped a bombshell on the club after informing them of his plans to leave at the end of the season.

Brooks had a two-year extension on the table from the club but it is understood he informed Tigers assistant coach Benji Marshall on Sunday morning that he would not be taking up the deal.

It means Brooks will head to the open market, where he is expected to attract offers from the NRL and Super League.

“Disappointed,” Tigers chair Lee Hagipantelis said.

“The fact that we made an offer indicated that the club’s intention was to retain Luke. Our desire was to retain him.

“It would have been very nice to have seen him play out his career at the Wests Tigers. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

“He is a seasoned professional, he has been with the club for quite some time, we made an offer which we believed to be a fair market offer, a genuine offer.

“The offer wasn’t acceptable which is fair enough. He is perfectly entitled to make that decision to go out and test the market.”

The 28-year-old Brooks has been a constant at the Tigers since making his debut as an 18-year-old, playing more than 200 games for the club and winning the Dally M halfback of the year award in 2018.

In recent years he has become a lightning rod for criticism as the Tigers have struggled.

Brooks has more often than not been the whipping boy at the club but he has responded in recent weeks by producing some of the best form of his career, prompting coach Tim Sheens and Marshall to push the club to table an extension for the next two seasons.

However, it is understood the club was pushing Brooks for a response and he has opted to seek greener pastures after more than a decade at his boyhood club.

News Corp recently revealed that Brooks had been offered a new two-year deal believed to be worth upwards of $1 million to stay at the Tigers.

It is understood the offer was late to the table and then members of the club’s board put a deadline on Brooks, prompting him to make a call on Sunday morning to Marshall.

It is understood Brooks thanked Marshall for what he had done for him and their relationship remains strong.

It came as the club was in the midst of a cleanout, with Daine Laurie, Shawn Blore, Jake Simpkin and David Nofoaluma are all free to leave at the end of the season, if not earlier.

Brooks is believed to have an offer on the table from England but news of his plans to leave the Tigers will thrust him on the NRL open market at a time when halves are in short supply.

Hagipantelis said the door wasn’t necessarily shut should Brooks or his management come back to the table.

“Never say never,” he said.

“At the moment the negotiations have ended but that doesn’t necessarily mean the door is shut.

“If Luke or his manager came back to is with a proposal - any proposal - it would receive proper consideration.”

As it stands, the Tigers are among the clubs who are desperately short of halves heading into next year - Brandon Wakeham is off contract at the end of the year and Adam Doueihi is recovering from knee surgery.

The Tigers had originally planned to make a decision on Brooks after six rounds but the timeline was extended as they waited for some clarity around their salary cap and their pursuit of other halves targets.

The club threw the bank at Mitchell Moses but he elected to stay at Parramatta, rejecting a mega-deal from his former club to stay loyal to the Eels. The Tigers also had a look at Shaun Johnson but he turned them down.

Having missed their priority targets, they turned their attention back to the in-form Brooks, one of the club’s most loyal players. His decision to leave will add fuel to suggestions of a divide at the club given Sheens and Marshall had worked so hard to keep him.

There were whispers come members of the board as well as new recruitment boss Scott Fulton weren’t on the same page as the key coaches.

Asked about the club’s lack of halves heading into next season, Hagipantelis said: “That is the challenge now for Scotty Fulton - he has been employed for that reason as head recruiter.

“His obligation now is to go into the market and continue to finetune this roster.”

Brooks’ decision to turn down their offer comes amid rumours that the Tigers are in the market for Manly forward Josh Schuster.

The Sea Eagles on Sunday revealed they had tabled a $2.5 million extension to Schuster which would keep him at the club until the end of 2027.

The Sea Eagles want to tie him down before he can formally sign with rival clubs come November 1.
 
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So with AD out long term next year our “options” pending re-signing and dramatic turns of form are Will Smith, Tristan Reilly, Brandon Wakeham and Daine Laurie.

Ideally we go to market and if we could pluck a discontent Ben Hunt or lure a Sezer to pair with a rookie with a blocked pathway it could be good. Blocked pathway rookies to target I would say are;

- Niwhai Puru (Sharks): Signed till end of 24, behind Hynes, Moylan, Trindall. Panthers junior and 21 years old (178cm/91kg)

- Braydon Trindall (Sharks): Signed till end of 25, behind Hynes and Moylan. 23 years old (180cm/90kg)

- Jonah Pezet (Storm): Signed till the end of 25, behind Munster and Hughes. 20 years old (183cm/80kg)

- Sandon Smith (Roosters): Signed till end of 24, behind Walker, Keary, Manu, Hutch? 20 years old (Seen very little of him).

- Swalker (Roosters): Signed till end of 25. Out of favour. 20 years old (183cm/78kg)

- Ryley Smith (Panthers): 20 years old. Not signed to top 30 contract or development yet. Behind Cleary, Luai, Falls, Cogger, Cole). Talented half/hooker and skilled athlete.

- Latu Fainu (Manly): Couldn’t find much about his situation but pretty sure he’s in deep at Manly

Personally I’d avoid Schuster, Taafe and Hawkins but each to their own.
 
Shooter Mcgavin said:
So with AD out long term next year our “options” pending re-signing and dramatic turns of form are Will Smith, Tristan Reilly, Brandon Wakeham and Daine Laurie.

Ideally we go to market and if we could pluck a discontent Ben Hunt or lure a Sezer to pair with a rookie with a blocked pathway it could be good. Blocked pathway rookies to target I would say are;

- Niwhai Puru (Sharks): Signed till end of 24, behind Hynes, Moylan, Trindall. Panthers junior and 21 years old (178cm/91kg)

- Braydon Trindall (Sharks): Signed till end of 25, behind Hynes and Moylan. 23 years old (180cm/90kg)

- Jonah Pezet (Storm): Signed till the end of 25, behind Munster and Hughes. 20 years old (183cm/80kg)

- Sandon Smith (Roosters): Signed till end of 24, behind Walker, Keary, Manu, Hutch? 20 years old (Seen very little of him).

- Swalker (Roosters): Signed till end of 25. Out of favour. 20 years old (183cm/78kg)

- Ryley Smith (Panthers): 20 years old. Not signed to top 30 contract or development yet. Behind Cleary, Luai, Falls, Cogger, Cole). Talented half/hooker and skilled athlete.

- Latu Fainu (Manly): Couldn’t find much about his situation but pretty sure he’s in deep at Manly

Personally I’d avoid Schuster, Taafe and Hawkins but each to their own.
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Metcalf would be a great 7.

He said the other day his goal is to become a 7
 
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