Luke Brooks #167

‘I was ready to go’: Legend’s pep talk convinced Brooks to stay at Tigers​

Luke Brooks has revealed he was ready to quit Wests Tigers – until a heart-to-heart with Benji Marshall reignited his excitement for the season ahead.

Brooks also confirmed he had been in regular contact with good friend Mitchell Moses about returning to the club, and said the pair would “like a shot at playing together again”.

Canterbury boss Phil Gould confirmed the Bulldogs, once considered the frontrunners for Moses’ services, were no longer interested – leaving the Tigers locked in a battle with Parramatta for his signature.
“We never made an offer for Mitchell Moses – we asked that if he was thinking about leaving Parramatta, we’d like to be considered,” Gould told the Herald.

“We hadn’t heard anything from Mitchell or his manager since November. We never really thought he would leave Eels anyway.
“We had the opportunity to sign young Karl Oloapu from the Broncos last week and moved in that direction. We are very happy with that signing.”

Brooks’ future at the Tigers has been under the microscope in the past few seasons because of his mixed form and whopping price tag, which exceeds $1 million this year because of a heavily back-ended contract. The continued scrutiny led him to considering a fresh start towards the end of last season.
“There was a point towards the back end of last year I was ready to go, and I felt like I needed a change,” Brooks told the Herald.

“But a couple of weeks before coming back to pre-season training, I spoke with Benji a few times, then sat back and had a look at what the club was doing, who they were bringing in, and I started getting excited. It did feel like a fresh change for me.

“Benji said to me, ‘We obviously want you here, but if you want to go elsewhere, do what’s best for you’.”
Entering his 11th season in the top grade, Brooks said he was eager to build on his halves combination with another off-contract Tiger, Adam Doueihi.
Doueihi has played 51 games in three seasons at the Tigers, but only 16 games in the halves with Brooks. Moses is good friends with Brooks while he also has the Lebanon World Cup connection to Doueihi.

Brooks said he had been doing his best to woo Moses back to the same club he ditched midway through 2017.

Coach Tim Sheens confirmed last week the Tigers had made contact with Moses, but “it will be Mitch’s call”.
“I’ve spoken to Mitch a bit, I’ve tried to suss him out and sell the joint [to him],” Brooks said. “We’ve spoken about it before about how we were really young the last time we played together, and we’d like a shot at playing together again. I don’t know where his head is at.
“We know each other’s game back to front. Being close mates helps as well – he lives two minutes away, and we had daughters born two weeks apart. It would be good for him to come here.”

Sheens and Marshall have told Brooks to run the ball more and be “greedy”, especially close to the opposition’s try line.
Doueihi, like Brooks, is in no rush to thrash out his own future beyond this season and simply wants to build his combination with his little halfback.
“I’m not in a rush to sign anywhere or do anything – playing good footy will sort it out,” Doueihi said.
 
WesternSuburbsBoy said:
Canterbury boss Phil Gould confirmed the Bulldogs, once considered the frontrunners for Moses’ services, were no longer interested – leaving the Tigers locked in a battle with Parramatta for his signature.
“We never made an offer for Mitchell Moses – we asked that if he was thinking about leaving Parramatta, we’d like to be considered,” Gould told the Herald.

“We hadn’t heard anything from Mitchell or his manager since November. We never really thought he would leave Eels anyway.
Click to expand...

The hypocracy and favoritism for
Gus and the dogs in the media in
one paragraph. Were favorites but
didn't even have an offer if we're
lead to believe. Mitch never was
going there, he left them on read
since November of last year haha
his way of telling them no thanks

It was always going to come down
to us or staying at the eels. If what
Poms saying about the Thursday
meeting is correct than that's big.
He has no business meeting with
a rival club if he wasn't serious
about taking up the offer so close
to the season kicking off to be fair
 
Winston Churchill said:
I honestly would love to see Brooks go well as it would mean the Tigers go well and the opposite of everything that's happened with him in the team so far. The justified critisim of him being pathetic at his job would immediacy cease. The problem is when you have a decade of evidence to back up him being rubbish it's impossible for the rational to see past that. If Brooks is playing like his busted usual self by rd10 it would be nice if the apologists could finally admit how wrong they have been. Although it'll probably be the usual just give him another season thing they always go on about.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but you know you what, it's 'easy' to bag someone though, I'll repeat 'easy' to bag someone and then say 'I would love to Brooks see go well'.

Please.....show some balls and back him, especially our half back and a dedicated Wests Tiger. I hope the fairy tale happens and he comes good and leads us finally to a semi, he certainly has it in him or does he?

Does he?

A little faith please.
 
WesternSuburbsBoy said:

‘I was ready to go’: Legend’s pep talk convinced Brooks to stay at Tigers​

Luke Brooks has revealed he was ready to quit Wests Tigers – until a heart-to-heart with Benji Marshall reignited his excitement for the season ahead.

Brooks also confirmed he had been in regular contact with good friend Mitchell Moses about returning to the club, and said the pair would “like a shot at playing together again”.

Canterbury boss Phil Gould confirmed the Bulldogs, once considered the frontrunners for Moses’ services, were no longer interested – leaving the Tigers locked in a battle with Parramatta for his signature.
“We never made an offer for Mitchell Moses – we asked that if he was thinking about leaving Parramatta, we’d like to be considered,” Gould told the Herald.

“We hadn’t heard anything from Mitchell or his manager since November. We never really thought he would leave Eels anyway.
“We had the opportunity to sign young Karl Oloapu from the Broncos last week and moved in that direction. We are very happy with that signing.”

Brooks’ future at the Tigers has been under the microscope in the past few seasons because of his mixed form and whopping price tag, which exceeds $1 million this year because of a heavily back-ended contract. The continued scrutiny led him to considering a fresh start towards the end of last season.
“There was a point towards the back end of last year I was ready to go, and I felt like I needed a change,” Brooks told the Herald.

“But a couple of weeks before coming back to pre-season training, I spoke with Benji a few times, then sat back and had a look at what the club was doing, who they were bringing in, and I started getting excited. It did feel like a fresh change for me.

“Benji said to me, ‘We obviously want you here, but if you want to go elsewhere, do what’s best for you’.”
Entering his 11th season in the top grade, Brooks said he was eager to build on his halves combination with another off-contract Tiger, Adam Doueihi.
Doueihi has played 51 games in three seasons at the Tigers, but only 16 games in the halves with Brooks. Moses is good friends with Brooks while he also has the Lebanon World Cup connection to Doueihi.

Brooks said he had been doing his best to woo Moses back to the same club he ditched midway through 2017.

Coach Tim Sheens confirmed last week the Tigers had made contact with Moses, but “it will be Mitch’s call”.
“I’ve spoken to Mitch a bit, I’ve tried to suss him out and sell the joint [to him],” Brooks said. “We’ve spoken about it before about how we were really young the last time we played together, and we’d like a shot at playing together again. I don’t know where his head is at.
“We know each other’s game back to front. Being close mates helps as well – he lives two minutes away, and we had daughters born two weeks apart. It would be good for him to come here.”

Sheens and Marshall have told Brooks to run the ball more and be “greedy”, especially close to the opposition’s try line.
Doueihi, like Brooks, is in no rush to thrash out his own future beyond this season and simply wants to build his combination with his little halfback.
“I’m not in a rush to sign anywhere or do anything – playing good footy will sort it out,” Doueihi said.
Click to expand...
Gee Luke ...I told you the same thing in Rocky ...RUN THE DAMN BALL MORE ......
 
Chunk said:
Yeah, but you know you what, it's 'easy' to bag someone though, I'll repeat 'easy' to bag someone and then say 'I would love to Brooks see go well'.

Please.....show some balls and back him, especially our half back and a dedicated Wests Tiger. I hope the fairy tale happens and he comes good and leads us finally to a semi, he certainly has it in him or does he?

Does he?

A little faith please.
Click to expand...
No, he doesn't, if we get there it'll be off the back of the forward pack, not Brooks.

I backed Brooks for years Chunk, years!! However insane it was to back a losing horse year after year. I do however question 'fans' that are not calling for the head of the teams playmaker that has failed at his job in a decade resulting in the Tiger's not making the finals in his entire tenure and think magically the yearly call of "one more year" is going to mean something. Think of any other professional sport/team on the planet that would have persisted with their main playmaker for a decade of failure. These threads and opinions have been going on about him since 2015 with every excuse under the sun. Each year without fail, its always give him one more season.

Until he looks like having a go, which he hasn't for years, I wont support him as a player at all. He doesn't deserve the respect and support with what he has produced in a decade. I make no apologises for pointing out a blatant issue with the team and for actually caring about the well being of the team I support in contrary to the obvious apologists on here that put Brooks getting a run over whether the team wins or not. Please grow some balls and call for his head when he inevitably fails again this year....or will his 12th season be his season?
 
Earl said:
I don't know why they do it. If I'm being cynical Brooksy is now clickbait gold.
Click to expand...
Ding ding….happens every year
He will again be clickbait later in the year when we start staring down the barrel of another failed campaign…happens every year.
 
Jedi_Tiger said:
he doesn't normally do this type of Q&A my understanding is Sheens is / was making him do more speaking type engagements. Makes reason to think he will be one of the co captains in 2023
Click to expand...
I can't see why.
He was no great shakes as a captain (by himself) last year ... plus I'm hoping we don't go down the multiple captain path again.
 
cktiger said:
I can't see why.
He was no great shakes as a captain (by himself) last year ... plus I'm hoping we don't go down the multiple captain path again.
Click to expand...
not a fan of co captains either but just get a feeling Brooks will be named one that's all
 
Jedi_Tiger said:
not a fan of co captains either but just get a feeling Brooks will be named one that's all
Click to expand...
Pretty embarrassing and telling, the guy that's played 180 odd games, the main playmaker for a decade, plays a position that's considered the 'General' of your team, the on field leader/talker/director, a one team player isn't thought of first as captain material among the wider public. Sums up Brooks career as sub par NRL material perfectly.
 
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