Luke Brooks #167

[Winston Churchill]

It is a fact Hastings is gone because Sheens and Marshall did not want him. A four time premiership winning coach and one of the greatest 5/8s to ever lace on a boot would know a bit about halves (in my humble opinion anyway). I respect their achievements.

So by that logic you're saying the entire Newcastle coaching squad that includes Coach O'Brien who spent 11 years at Melbourne, 5 of those years as assistant to Bellyache and was part of the Roosters coaching team that won the 2019 premiership doesn't know anything about football halves because they signed Hastings?

Yet a washed out coach who nearly 2 decades ago won a premiership on the back of a generational talent in the cubs and Benji who had a few good seasons in his entire career which was stunted and killed by Sheens forcing him to play half for a lot of it certainly does know halves talent when they see it, right?

 

[Winston Churchill]

Joe O and Hastings were the only blokes I saw show anything resembling leadership and heart last year

Fact

 

[Winston Churchill]

But you also have to remember he still made it 3 times which is 3 more than all the other coaches put together over the other 13 seasons Wests Tigers have been in existence.

Let's just wait and see what happens over the next 2 or 3 seasons before we banish Sheens and condemn him to eternal damnation.

Surely things can't get any worse than they have been for the last 10 years, I think we may actually be on the right trajectory, well here's hoping anyway.

Brooks might be the common factor in never making the finals for a decade of that.

Sheens had Benji, Lui and Prince in those 3 seasons, actual NRL quality halves.

Lets see what the Sheenius can do coaching Brooks

 

[pawsandclaws1]

So by that logic you're saying the entire Newcastle coaching squad that includes Coach O'Brien who spent 11 years at Melbourne, 5 of those years as assistant to Bellyache and was part of the Roosters coaching team that won the 2019 premiership doesn't know anything about football halves because they signed Hastings?

Yet a washed out coach who nearly 2 decades ago won a premiership on the back of a generational talent in the cubs and Benji who had a few good seasons in his entire career which was stunted and killed by Sheens forcing him to play half for a lot of it certainly does know halves talent when they see it, right?

Fact - Hastings is gone.
Fact - Sheens and Marshall want Brooks post 23.
Fact - restructured deal if Brooks stays.
Fact - we have a greatly strengthened forward pack.
Fact - our recruitment is probably the best in our history.
Fact - as far as most on this forum are aware, we are still in the mix for one of the NRL's best halfbacks.

The remainder Winston is your opinion.

 

[Bigtom]

Fact - Hastings is gone.
Fact - Sheens and Marshall want Brooks post 23.
Fact - restructured deal if Brooks stays.
Fact - we have a greatly strengthened forward pack.
Fact - our recruitment is probably the best in our history.
Fact - as far as most on this forum are aware, we are still in the mix for one of the NRL's best halfbacks.

The remainder Winston is your opinion.

I’d argue the 2004-5 recruitment was our best

 

[sleeve]

I’m very excited about our young fowards.Not sold on Tuki however ,even after being dropped to flegg in the 2022 season he failed to standout .I don’t think his offload is enough to add any value to a modern NRL squad .

Yes, i'm not sure about Tuki either ,he appears to lack aggression, and i feel the same about TT as well. They must be training the place down to be getting any attention. I thought they would be let go. Lets see if they can produce on the footy field, maybe the new coaches did not see their limited time playing, or i may have had sand in my eye while watching.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

I’d argue the 2004-5 recruitment was our best

I wouldn't argue with you. It certainly achieved results!

 

[gregjm87]

Im not going to argue who the better player is between Hastings and Brooks....I will however say that they have 2 different playing personalities...
Brooks is quiet,defends really well,has a great running game when its on and he tries his best with what he had to work with...
Hastings was yelling and pointing,organised the ordinary forwards we had,good goal kicker but average positional kicker and had a great league mind...
So we can argue who is the better player BUT in my books Hastings was a far better organiser and it showed when he was not injured in the games we won...thats the job of a halfback and thats why I think Hastings will do well at Newy...only time will tell...

I'd agree with this. But I would say simply organising isn't the only job of the halfback. They have to be an attacking threat and a kicking game. For all Hastings organisation he offers nothing in attack. I think you can overcome Brooks limited organising skills by having experienced, well drilled forwards who don't need to be told where to be on the field. It is more difficult for a team to make up for their halfback offering nothing in attack.

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

With Sheens & Benji chasing Moses so hard & looking at other options at 7 this to me says that they don’t think Brooks is the long term solution at 7 either.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

So by that logic you're saying the entire Newcastle coaching squad that includes Coach O'Brien who spent 11 years at Melbourne, 5 of those years as assistant to Bellyache and was part of the Roosters coaching team that won the 2019 premiership doesn't know anything about football halves because they signed Hastings?

Yet a washed out coach who nearly 2 decades ago won a premiership on the back of a generational talent in the cubs and Benji who had a few good seasons in his entire career which was stunted and killed by Sheens forcing him to play half for a lot of it certainly does know halves talent when they see it, right?

with that logic David Furner won a comp at North Queensland as assistant coach in 2015,
O'Brien will prove in 2023 what a poor coach he is with Newcastle running last

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

Brooks will likely be 6

 

[gregjm87]

Well him teammates certainly did. He was Player's player

Fair, I would attribute that to intangible qualities as much as actual performance. What did he do on field that was any better than Brooks, Laurie and Utoikamanu? I'd have Doueihi in the conversation but in no way was he 'easily' better than the others.

 

[cktiger]

Interesting perspective. I think Hastings was much better in the middle of the park getting the forwards running onto the ball. I think Brooks was much better a little wider out. To me they are very different players.

No use telling the truth to Brooks's fan club.

 

[earl]

No use telling the truth to Brooks's fan club.

In all seriousness I think most people are on the same page on Brooks. He is a better runner of the footy a little wide and he isn't the guy to continually come up with great plays late in the tackle count or organize the forwards in the middle. Sheens seems to be stating that is where he will play him. Madge had him playing there basically all season.

To me longer term it's more about who best suits that role - AD or Brooks. I think they both play that role this season.

Maybe we'll see something different this year. We're due for a season where we get some luck.

It's interesting letting Hastings go as well. He could play in the middle with those two outside of him.

 

[cktiger]

Hastings is gone because Sheens and Marshall did not want him. That's conclusive as to whom is the better player no matter which way you attempt to spin it.
Really?
So when we ditched Josh Addo Carr for Jordan Rankin, or get Matt Ballin to try to force Robbie Farah out, its conclusive who the better player is?

 

[TCL]

that is why they moved the other bloke on... I think if the money is right Sheens will strike a deal with Brooks for 2024 and beyond

Agree. But imo performance in the early part of the season will have a big impact on if and how much.

if he and AD perform in 23 great, we try extend both and focus on our backline. It shouldn’t stop us from looking for an upgrade for either if we can.

if they don’t then don’t extend and sign someone else if there is better.

So for my thinking we should be focusing on upgrading our backline and half’s, 1 through to 7

our pack is much improved.

 

[TCL]

Im not going to argue who the better player is between Hastings and Brooks....I will however say that they have 2 different playing personalities...
Brooks is quiet,defends really well,has a great running game when its on and he tries his best with what he had to work with...
Hastings was yelling and pointing,organised the ordinary forwards we had,good goal kicker but average positional kicker and had a great league mind...
So we can argue who is the better player BUT in my books Hastings was a far better organiser and it showed when he was not injured in the games we won...thats the job of a halfback and thats why I think Hastings will do well at Newy...only time will tell...

Let’s be honest it’s a moot point arguing which is better. We got the spoon mate.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

Hastings is gone because Sheens and Marshall did not want him. That's conclusive as to whom is the better player no matter which way you attempt to spin it.
Really?
So when we ditched Josh Addo Carr for Jordan Rankin, or get Matt Ballin to try to force Robbie Farah out, its conclusive who the better player is?

sheens and Marshall had the chance to put Hastings in the 7 in 2023 they clearly think Brooks is the better number 7. Fact is Hastings is now at newcastle

 

[Goldust]

Yes, i'm not sure about Tuki either ,he appears to lack aggression, and i feel the same about TT as well. They must be training the place down to be getting any attention. I thought they would be let go. Lets see if they can produce on the footy field, maybe the new coaches did not see their limited time playing, or i may have had sand in my eye while watching.

Yeah I had similar opinions of TT.
Still don’t think he’s a centre,although he seems to have a talent for finding the try line.

 

[BAGNF05]

Unfortunately you just described why Brooks deserves the criticism.
Unlike John’s he didn’t spit on the ground.
That’s because he’s not overly competitive and seems happy to put up with stupidity on the field and remain mute.
Ask anyone who played with John’s and they will all say that he made them a better player.
Reckon any of the players we’ve had over the past 10 years would say the same about Brooks?
Nah.
In describing Johns traits you did, however, describe the bloke we got rid of.

Nothing you can do when your administration can’t sign an elite player.