Luke Brooks

[twentyforty]

I’m on the fence with him. If a trade could be made, I’d be all for it. Ideal for both parties.
But if we persevere I have a question based on a observation.
The kicks into the in goal last game. They looked a lot worse then they actually were as a result of the chase and the ensuring set which consisted of a repeat set and led to a try down the other end of the field.
My question is, we know Brooks is struggling organising plays in the game. We know he is struggling with his short grubber kicking game. Is it possible to continue to play with him in the side knowing his faults but having the team coached in a way to protect them until he gets the confidence back to excecute? Doueihi is a good kicker of the ball. Why not have him do more of the general kicking play until Brooks finds some confidence and form. If Brooks has to kick grabbers towards the touch line for our wingers instead of trying to land them in goal. We can use the new hand over rule to our advantage.
Can’t the forwards be prepared to try and get the ball back in that set or work to keep the team down in there own territory.
Everyone’s heads dropped in unison when he miss kicked the ball.
But shouldn’t we be more resilient than that?

You have a good point.
If The Jet had swooped and scored 2 tries from those kicks, the fans would have chaired Brooksy from the field.
My guess is he and Jet have trained for that? I don’t know why Brooksy cops the heat because nobody chases his kicks hard enough?


Both those kicks were purposefully directed.
When you look at who we had to chase them down before they go dead the anti Brooks argument gets a bit thin.
A busted winger? A recalcitrant centre?
Brooks would have been better off doing a deal with Laurie.
It could have easily gone the other way?


Far too long,the only way they could have been caught is if a player was holding a very large sugar bag driving a F1 car

?
I reckon a good lawyer could get Brooksy off.

On a serious note, I’m more concerned with players who aren’t putting in, not playing with the spirit of teamwork, rather than those who make mistakes. If the heads go down when someone drops the ball, or kicks out of play, then that is a much worse indictment on those players. A winning team responds positively to adversity and I’m not seeing enough of this.
We started the season on a very positive note but it lasted only 40mins.
When the team doesn’t appear to have the courage or will to overcome adversity, those little mistakes like dropped balls weigh heavily on the dropper. The top 4 teams couldn’t care less about mistakes. The top players wear mistakes and quickly move on. Why are we signalling Armageddon? This is the problem Madge needs to fix imho.

 

[The_Patriot]

The long kicking game was an interesting point of comparison yesterday. The roosters constantly found open grass, we found the back 3 on the full.

Those little things are basics of the game and we just can't get it right.

Who the hell is responsible for the bombs? It was originally called Taylorball, but has stuck around a long time after him.

Madgeball

Cmon Brooks 1st 1 when he chased and smashed Teddy got the loudest cheer of the game..

The basics of the game is chasing the kick...we suck ..so an decent kick becomes poor..

If I was coaching this weekend they’d be no game plan ...
Just go and play footy would all I’d say ..

Run harder Tackle harder would do..

Imo they’ve gone backwards under Maguire ?‍♂️

It’s like going back to TAFE when your in your mid 20’s
( I did .. done 2 trades)
And you’re doing basic mathematics with a group of 17 year old dumb arses
As we keep saying these players have been playing since under 6’s
Hope I made sense ?

That’s a good point. In the 2nd half Brooks was caught with the ball on the 5th tackle. He was crawling towards the rooster’s line & I think eventually got stopped about 10 metres out. I think Johns comment was “at least he didn’t kick the ball dead this time” sarcastically. Brooks is clearly in a rut, a big one but I don’t think we can accusing him of not trying. I think he is definitely at the point where he needs to go back to NSW Cup & re-learn his trade or at least get his confidence back. Problem is whether or not Madden is ready for NRL as yet.

It’s cruel to say but I laughed when Brooks was crawling on all fours ..

Sometimes I feel sorry for him , like he’s just a kid that looks lost

But then I remember he’s earning a six figure salary living the dream

I watched NRL 360 earlier and I sort of agree with what Ben Ikin said ..
He’s a handy footballer but he needs to be surrounded by quality players ..
Geez I’m going soft ?


I saw that too.

I disagree with him and his assement of our club.

We have a solid roster with a good amount of depth.

Probably the best depth we have had in many many years.

Unfortunately half back is the position we lack both talent and depth.

The rest of the squad would do just fine if they had a quality half back to lead them around.

I agree wholeheartedly with you, we've got solid depth in every position with the exception for his. If he keeps playing the way he has, they should give Madden a go, at least he would relish being out there playing 1st Grade.

**> I know there is a lot of pressure on Brooks, but that is why he is paid the big bucks and he agreed to accept the responsibility that comes with that sort of money.**

There is just no escaping the reality of that. Nice bloke, quiet, respectful etc but thats not what his contract asks for.

 

[earl]

My question is, we know Brooks is struggling organising plays in the game. We know he is struggling with his short grubber kicking game. Is it possible to continue to play with him in the side knowing his faults but having the team coached in a way to protect them until he gets the confidence back to excecute?

This is exactly what Madge needs to do. Brooks can just run the ball and set up plays wherever and whenever they come up. Just play him as a off the cuff player. Have AD take the last tackle option consistently.

 

[Sco77y]

They really should've done that presentation before the game.. They all look dejected as.. :joy:

There’s only 1 with a smile
Stefano ?

Yep, and Twal with half a smile maybe. I crack up every time I see that photo, I suppose you can only laugh at this point right. I actually feel sorry for us, the whole club, supporters..

 

[Madge]

I noticed a couple of times in Sunday's game when Brooks got the ball, he would look left and everyone on that side was just standing flat footed. No one was ready to run on to the ball and most times he either turned back the other way or just took the tackle.

There are a lot of people who think he's not up to 1st grade standard, and maybe that's true. But a halfback needs to be able to rely on his outside men to make a play work. Think back to Lawrence and the way he at least tried to run angles at speed on the left edge. Perhaps it would have been a different story on Sunday if Brooks had Luciano running with the same intensity off his left shoulder.

This is a team sport and when they all look flat, we shouldn't just point the finger at the playmaker. Give him something to work with.

Agree, which got me wandering if it is better to have Garner on his side?

 

[jirskyr]

The long kicking game was an interesting point of comparison yesterday. The roosters constantly found open grass, we found the back 3 on the full.

Those little things are basics of the game and we just can't get it right.

Who the hell is responsible for the bombs? It was originally called Taylorball, but has stuck around a long time after him.

Madgeball

Cmon Brooks 1st 1 when he chased and smashed Teddy got the loudest cheer of the game..

The basics of the game is chasing the kick...we suck ..so an decent kick becomes poor..

If I was coaching this weekend they’d be no game plan ...
Just go and play footy would all I’d say ..

Run harder Tackle harder would do..

Imo they’ve gone backwards under Maguire ?‍♂️

It’s like going back to TAFE when your in your mid 20’s
( I did .. done 2 trades)
And you’re doing basic mathematics with a group of 17 year old dumb arses
As we keep saying these players have been playing since under 6’s
Hope I made sense ?

That’s a good point. In the 2nd half Brooks was caught with the ball on the 5th tackle. He was crawling towards the rooster’s line & I think eventually got stopped about 10 metres out. I think Johns comment was “at least he didn’t kick the ball dead this time” sarcastically. Brooks is clearly in a rut, a big one but I don’t think we can accusing him of not trying. I think he is definitely at the point where he needs to go back to NSW Cup & re-learn his trade or at least get his confidence back. Problem is whether or not Madden is ready for NRL as yet.

It’s cruel to say but I laughed when Brooks was crawling on all fours ..

Sometimes I feel sorry for him , like he’s just a kid that looks lost

But then I remember he’s earning a six figure salary living the dream

I watched NRL 360 earlier and I sort of agree with what Ben Ikin said ..
He’s a handy footballer but he needs to be surrounded by quality players ..
Geez I’m going soft ?

he is spot on, lets be honest. Brooks is dense he doesnt have what it takes to be organising and leading a team. Unfortunately if thats the case Douehi is not the answer at 7

Doueihi plays 6

Yeah the point was there is no one else to steer the ship.

I think Doueihi will be the man to do so


I think Doueihi was very lucky Brooks had a poor game because AD's game was nothing to right home about either.

Why you so angry all the time ?
I see more upside in Doueihi than I do in Brooks , add to the fact that it was Doueihi’s first game at 6 .

Yeah I'm going to need another 149 matches from Doueihi before I can properly decide.

 

[barra]

I noticed a couple of times in Sunday's game when Brooks got the ball, he would look left and everyone on that side was just standing flat footed. No one was ready to run on to the ball and most times he either turned back the other way or just took the tackle.

I've noticed this and it happens way too often.

If Brooks had organised something and it didn't happen, he can't wait until training and have the coach pull them up on it. He needs to sort it out straight away on the field. Can you imagine how Joey Johns or Cronk would have reacted?

Or, if he hadn't organised anything then the buck really does stop with him.

 

[Celtic_Tiger]

We have this annual cycle where we spend half the year, usually the off season, saying that Brooks needs to own the side and the other half, usually once the season starts saying that he needs a dominant half beside him so he can concentrate on his running game completely forgetting what we were saying for the previous six months.

Spoiler alert- neither works.

 

[Harvey]

I noticed a couple of times in Sunday's game when Brooks got the ball, he would look left and everyone on that side was just standing flat footed. No one was ready to run on to the ball and most times he either turned back the other way or just took the tackle.

There are a lot of people who think he's not up to 1st grade standard, and maybe that's true. But a halfback needs to be able to rely on his outside men to make a play work. Think back to Lawrence and the way he at least tried to run angles at speed on the left edge. Perhaps it would have been a different story on Sunday if Brooks had Luciano running with the same intensity off his left shoulder.

This is a team sport and when they all look flat, we shouldn't just point the finger at the playmaker. Give him something to work with.

I think that is actually a good point. We seem to be a lazy or poorly coached team. No 2nd phase play (and when attempted players aren't ready) no players in motion. One of the biggest reasons our attack is poor is it's predictability. It is not hard to see who will be getting the ball and focus pressure on them.

 

[851]

https://everythingrugbyleague.com/why-the-tigers-must-sign-adam-reynolds/?fbclid=IwAR3H_vAWjn0hmQTwAw5Cr-IlxFAr19Hd2xx6fQUL5_230PLTPV_GVef_wJY

Written by Oliver Kellner-Dunk

To the shock of many, it was recently revealed that Adam Reynolds had turned down a one-year contract extension from the South Sydney Rabbitohs, as the halfback believes he has earned a longer deal.

Reynolds has not only played all of his 208 NRL games for the Rabbitohs but is also a South Sydney junior who came through the ranks at the club.


It is hard to picture Reynolds in anything other than the green and myrtle; however, that may be the reality fans have to face, as the 30-year-old could exit Redfern if offered a long-term deal elsewhere.

So who should try to sign Adam Reynolds if he does leave the Rabbitohs?

Well, teams such as the Broncos and Cowboys are obvious options, with the maroon and gold boys last fielding an experienced game controller in 2017 when Ben Hunt was at the club, and the Cowboys still on the search for the player that will fill the void left by Johnathan Thurston.

Although Reynolds would likely prefer to remain in Sydney, and there is a Sydney based club whose woes have lasted longer than the Broncos and Cowboys, that club is the Wests Tigers.


Not since 2011 have we seen the Tigers take part in finals footy when their halves consisted of New Zealand International Benji Marshall and Robert Lui who has gone on to play over 200 professional games.

Currently, the Tigers are represented by Adam Doueihi and Luke Brooks in the six and seven jerseys, with Doueihi not yet cemented in the role of five-eighth and Brooks failing to consistently live up to his potential at halfback since debuting in 2013.

He may not necessarily take Wests to the next level alone, but he would bring stability to the Tigers attack, something that they have not had since for the past decade.


Reynolds would also complement the 2005 premiers’ promising forward pack, and finally allow Michael Maguire to focus on improving other areas of the squad.

Unless the Bunnies cave and give Reynolds the long-term deal he demands and arguably deserves, then don’t be surprised if you see the former New South Wales Origin representative applying his trade at Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Stadium next season.

 

[Speed2burn]

I get Anasta / J Rey vibes if we sign him tbh

 

[izotope]

I get Anasta / J Rey vibes if we sign him tbh

I think he's alot better, he has been their dominant playmaker for many years.

Walkers form is up an down like a yoyo, he is an out and out 7.

 

[diedpretty]

I think all this talk of it's his team now by Madge and Brooks has done him no favours. He has never had to take on the full responsibility of steering the team around and just isn't capable of doing it. His short kicking game which was pretty good a couple of years ago is now non existent. The only way he can stay in this team is if Douehi takes on the organisational role and Brooks does more running. I think if all the pressure was taken off him and he was allowed to play his natural game there would be a marked improvement overall. It's probably the best we can hope for until we can get a real no 7.

 

[haberfield_tiger]

Time to cut our losses here. Need to go another direction. It's run its course. 150 games later. He needs to be moved on. Glad we didn't trade Billy walters. I'd give him the 7 jersey when fit ( maybe 2 weeks) Always played well for us and can execute a game plan.

 

[tig_prmz]

Robert Lui.. what a blast from the past. He must have one of the highest win:loss rations for WT

Was he the one we punted due to DV issues?

 

[BAGNF05]

Luke's 150th game presentation



Good, maybe inspector gadget will attract some elite players

 

[tig_prmz]

I get Anasta / J Rey vibes if we sign him tbh

He's nuggety, will get slower and have less acceleration and I don't see his defence improving. Doesn't seem much of a competitor like a Maloney or a Thurston.

But his kicking and passing game alone makes me think he can last at least 2-3 years more given the right motivation. I would be enquiring and figure out if he's actually interested in being a leader at this club or just here for a retirement package.

 

[jadtiger]

Robert Lui.. what a blast from the past. He must have one of the highest win:loss rations for WT

Was he the one we punted due to DV issues?

Yes he was.An excellent 7 imho and an absolute flog of the highest order off the field.I loathe wife/partner beaters

 

[Speed2burn]

Robert Lui.. what a blast from the past. He must have one of the highest win:loss rations for WT

Was he the one we punted due to DV issues?


Yes he was.An excellent 7 imho and an absolute flog of the highest order off the field.I loathe wife/partner beaters

Was he really that good though? Or was he made to look good having 2 spine players who were arguably the best players in their respective positions at that present time

Seriously benji turned everything into gold. He made players like Elford, Fitzhenry, Ashyford, Beau Ryan etc look like above average first graders

Robert Luis career post Marshall , in the super league and @ the cowboys was not that flash.

 

[cleanskin]

Robert Lui.. what a blast from the past. He must have one of the highest win:loss rations for WT

Was he the one we punted due to DV issues?


Yes he was.An excellent 7 imho and an absolute flog of the highest order off the field.I loathe wife/partner beaters

Was he really that good though? Or was he made to look good having 2 spine players who were arguably the best players in their respective positions at that present time

Seriously benji turned everything into gold. He made players like Elford, Fitzhenry, Ashyford, Beau Ryan etc look like above average first graders

Robert Luis career post Marshall , in the super league and @ the cowboys was not that flash.

He was that good. His running game took the pressure off Benji. 2010 and 2011 finals were due to him being in the squad. We got close to another shot at glory.
It's a shame he wasn't there next season. It all feel to pieces since with no finals.