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**Tigers prepare to dump Benji Marshall in favour of young gun Luke Brooks**
BENJI Marshall's career at the Wests Tigers could come to a premature end on Tuesday as the club moves to make way for boom teenage halfback Luke Brooks to make his debut against Parramatta on Friday night.
In what is shaping as a watershed week for the struggling club, the Tigers will officially ask the NRL for a second-tier salary cap exemption so they can name Brooks on Tuesday.
The club will also seek permission to name Jarred Farlow to replace Robbie Farah after the inspirational skipper was on Monday ruled out for two weeks with a hand injury.
But debate over Marshall's future will overshadow everything else after another disastrous showing in Sunday's heavy loss to the Gold Coast.
Marshall had two runs for a total of 11m - and his effort had plenty questioning if his heart was still at the Tigers given his imminent switch to Super Rugby.
Over the past month, Marshall's form has got progressively worse.
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He was also criticised for making a rushed trip to New Zealand last week to talk to the Auckland Blues just days before the game on the Gold Coast.
Marshall is expected to make his signing with the Blues official in the coming days.
Potter caused a furore when he benched Marshall for the round 10 clash against South Sydney but most critics of that decision would now agree Marshall's form no longer justifies his place in the team.
The only thing saving Marshall from an inglorious end to his NRL career is his reputation.
It would be a massive decision for Potter to dump the superstar with only five weeks left in the regular season and Marshall four games short of 200 matches for the Tigers.
Marshall has given great service to the club but his form this year, and especially in the past month, justifies the club's decision to let him walk out on the final two years of his contract.
A key reason the Tigers couldn't afford to keep Marshall on the $1 million-a-year handshake agreement he had with former chief executive Stephen Humphreys until the end of 2017 was the emergence of Brooks and Mitchell Moses, who both recently agreed to extended deals.
The Tigers have now lost their past four games and Friday night's clash against the last-placed Eels is shaping up as a wooden-spoon shootout.
Potter said Brooks's time had arrived. Asked if the 18-year-old was ready for the NRL, Potter said: "I think so. He has proven himself in State Cup and he is doing a great job for the under-20s.
"I don't think that there is any doubt that he needs to be challenged at this level.
"It is the next stage in his development, so we will go through the process and see what happens."
Potter could still name Marshall at five-eighth or start Curtis Sironen alongside Brooks, given they are the most likely pairing for next year.
The Tigers are on the limit of their second-tier salary cap as a result of the club's shocking run of injuries.
While the second-tier salary cap is designed to stop the richer clubs stockpiling the best talent, Brooks is a local junior who played for the Leichhardt Wanderers and went to school at Holy Cross Ryde.
"They put these rules in place to try and protect the game and I understand that, but he is a local junior and it makes sense to let him play," Potter said.
"We have to have one eye on next year and both eyes on trying to win the next game. We have to name a team that is capable of doing that.
"There is no doubt it would be great for the surrounding district that (Brooks) comes through and gets his shot at first grade and that will help him for the future.
"I just want him to get a couple of games before the end of the year and get a sniff of what it is like."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/wests-tigers-prepare-to-dump-benji-marshall-in-favour-of-young-gun-luke-brooks-on-tuesday/story-fn2mcuj6-1226691723810#.Uf_22G228po
BENJI Marshall's career at the Wests Tigers could come to a premature end on Tuesday as the club moves to make way for boom teenage halfback Luke Brooks to make his debut against Parramatta on Friday night.
In what is shaping as a watershed week for the struggling club, the Tigers will officially ask the NRL for a second-tier salary cap exemption so they can name Brooks on Tuesday.
The club will also seek permission to name Jarred Farlow to replace Robbie Farah after the inspirational skipper was on Monday ruled out for two weeks with a hand injury.
But debate over Marshall's future will overshadow everything else after another disastrous showing in Sunday's heavy loss to the Gold Coast.
Marshall had two runs for a total of 11m - and his effort had plenty questioning if his heart was still at the Tigers given his imminent switch to Super Rugby.
Over the past month, Marshall's form has got progressively worse.
\
\
\
He was also criticised for making a rushed trip to New Zealand last week to talk to the Auckland Blues just days before the game on the Gold Coast.
Marshall is expected to make his signing with the Blues official in the coming days.
Potter caused a furore when he benched Marshall for the round 10 clash against South Sydney but most critics of that decision would now agree Marshall's form no longer justifies his place in the team.
The only thing saving Marshall from an inglorious end to his NRL career is his reputation.
It would be a massive decision for Potter to dump the superstar with only five weeks left in the regular season and Marshall four games short of 200 matches for the Tigers.
Marshall has given great service to the club but his form this year, and especially in the past month, justifies the club's decision to let him walk out on the final two years of his contract.
A key reason the Tigers couldn't afford to keep Marshall on the $1 million-a-year handshake agreement he had with former chief executive Stephen Humphreys until the end of 2017 was the emergence of Brooks and Mitchell Moses, who both recently agreed to extended deals.
The Tigers have now lost their past four games and Friday night's clash against the last-placed Eels is shaping up as a wooden-spoon shootout.
Potter said Brooks's time had arrived. Asked if the 18-year-old was ready for the NRL, Potter said: "I think so. He has proven himself in State Cup and he is doing a great job for the under-20s.
"I don't think that there is any doubt that he needs to be challenged at this level.
"It is the next stage in his development, so we will go through the process and see what happens."
Potter could still name Marshall at five-eighth or start Curtis Sironen alongside Brooks, given they are the most likely pairing for next year.
The Tigers are on the limit of their second-tier salary cap as a result of the club's shocking run of injuries.
While the second-tier salary cap is designed to stop the richer clubs stockpiling the best talent, Brooks is a local junior who played for the Leichhardt Wanderers and went to school at Holy Cross Ryde.
"They put these rules in place to try and protect the game and I understand that, but he is a local junior and it makes sense to let him play," Potter said.
"We have to have one eye on next year and both eyes on trying to win the next game. We have to name a team that is capable of doing that.
"There is no doubt it would be great for the surrounding district that (Brooks) comes through and gets his shot at first grade and that will help him for the future.
"I just want him to get a couple of games before the end of the year and get a sniff of what it is like."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/wests-tigers-prepare-to-dump-benji-marshall-in-favour-of-young-gun-luke-brooks-on-tuesday/story-fn2mcuj6-1226691723810#.Uf_22G228po
