Finally we’ve got someone who can run faster than my mum

Imo Brooks has got 8 weeks to show why he should be our no7.
If there’s no improvement we MUST shop him around.

Sick of hearing him talk about what he needs to do then go out and not do it.

Whenever I’m at Leichhardt I always feel like I’m at HOME

Just read an article that Mundine and Latrell aren’t happy about it being sung in native tongue because they haven’t changed any words.
From my understanding there’s a push to change the word “young” (and free) to “one”

The article goes on to quote Latrell, here’s the quote
“I stand for us, our mob! Be proud of the oldest living culture".

So they want to change the word to “one” which is a more inclusive word for all Australians.
But in the next breath Latrell uses the terms “us” and “our mob” (referring to indigenous people I assume)

So which is it, are we ONE or is it US and OUR MOB? I’m confused.
You can’t talk about changing the language to be more inclusive then in the next sentence refer to yourself as US and OUR MOB.

When I use the word US I’m referring to ALL Australians, when Latrell uses it he’s referring to Indigenous people of Australia only.
To me, that isn’t ONE

@Fade-To-Black said in Drugs, sex, domestic violence: football’s cover-up:

@rustycage said in Drugs, sex, domestic violence: football’s cover-up:

Could anyone really think Russell Crow was a decent bloke? Everyone outside of Souffs knew Burgess was a filthy grub. Journos & media loved him though for whatever reason. It’ll be interesting to see which sponsors remain involved with these scum bags. And further more, Bennett would absolutely be in the loop. Seeing that smug bugger bow out disgracefully would be brilliant. Pride of the lease indeed… Lol

The sad part about the sponsors is their main sponsor is Crown Casinos, owned by James Packer, he isn’t going anywhere. He’s Rusty’s bud. So unfortunately they aren’t going to be penalised at all sponsorship-wise.
Hope that scummy club crashes and burns.

Yep, gambling and drugs are deeply ingrained in this sport.
(alcohol is a drug, a legal one but a drug none the less and more harmful than most illegal drugs)

It got worse once the high rollers entered the game as “sponsors”
Footy players now hang out with all sorts of white collar criminals, especially when they start putting the gloves on and mixing with that world, opens them up to a whole new bunch of connections.

They want to be “ballers” and live the lifestyle of American sports stars (just look at who most of them idolise and emulate, how they dress etc)
They’re wannabe NBA, NFL stars, the influence of American culture is huge in the NRL.

I guarantee most young (or trying to remain young) NRL players follow American sports stars on social media, with their private jets, flash cars, and bling, the problem is, they only earn 1/32 of what they earn and they live in Padstow.

Sounds like Madge isn’t sold on Liddle either.

I’d take McInnes over most 9s in the comp, the guy is the ultimate competitor.

Absolutely love Rowdy, he’s always given 100%
Mr reliable and a Tiger through and through

I’m gonna turn this into a game of Guess Who.

Moustache or no Moustache?
Red hair?
Glasses?
Hat?

Merry Xmas ya filthy animals

Unless we

1. Have a halfback who is interested in playing rugby league.
2. Have at least 1 prop that is a leader (sorry Aloiai and Twal aren’t it)
3. Have a fullback that is a genuine threat

We will continue to be what we’ve always been

@walter said in Zane Musgrove and AJ Kepaoa Incident:

@truetiger said in Zane Musgrove and AJ Kepaoa Incident:

@earl said in Zane Musgrove and AJ Kepaoa Incident:

Really freaken stupid. I get they are young and stupid and I get that most of us have done dumb things especially the Queenslanders amongst us but at some point you have to recognize you are a professional sportsperson and you have to play the game by the rules.

Im going to have to give you guys and gals a little professional insight into some of these incidents that happen no matter if you play NRL are a bricky or a welder…THE governing laws re RSA(responsible service of alchol)is you can be refused service if you are deemed to be intoxicated,cause or disrupt other customers or become aggressive while consuming alcohol…
Now I would just like to say that these signs are plastered all over the entrances and within the premises in clear view of patrons…if people cant read or understand those rules then maybe they should not even attempt to enter a place that sells alcohol and stay at home…
Im saying this because if your just turned 18 or your 70,the OLGR(office of liquor gaming and racing )has spent a great deal of time money and resources to educate the population on theses LAWS…they are not to be taken lightly,not only can the offending customer be heavily fined the premises can be fined and lose their license…Im not bagging either of these boys,but,education in this particular area may assist in the future for them…

These guys probably have been educated on it that are just dumb

No they’re not dumb, they just don’t care!!!
They think rules don’t apply to them they’re famous footy players don’t you know and they don’t like authority and being told what to do because it damages their ego.
They also love attention and nothing draws more attention than bouncers n cops and confrontation.

If you’ve ever spent any time with footy players off the field and especially on the drink you’ll know what absolute tools most of them are.

@leck said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@leck said in Luke Brooks:

@hobbo1 said in Luke Brooks:

Doohey will be the man …
Brooks sucks …

There I said it …

Could help if you could try and spell his name correctly…

I agree, Adam ‘Doueihi’ will play his best footy this year at 6

Brooks needs a smart halves partner that plays the field laterally and can stretch the opponents defensive line

When Brooks has that space, his run, passing and kicking game is excellent

Brooks needs this, Brooks needs that

Whilst Brooks hasn’t been great over the last 2 years he also hasn’t had the benefit of a strong pack that eat yards and don’t melt like butter when pressured defensively.

Our pack has been rated in the bottom 6 since 2006 (2010-2011 the only exceptions).

We need another Gareth Ellis type enforcer, hopefully Tamou will be that.

It’s now 2021 so the big boppers need to step up and set up a platform where Luke and Adam can prove their worth.

Oh here we go again, Brooks needs a better pack, it’s the packs fault, it’s getting old

@lauren said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@lauren said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@cktiger said in Luke Brooks:

Has there ever been a player given so many excuses for under performing as Brooks?
He’s got talent but obviously not much nous.
Keep taking the wrong options this year and he’ll be saying goodbye.
Looks like we might finally have a younger halfback to put some pressure on him.

The excuses just keep rolling in it seems.

It Grants service
It’s Benji
It’s our forwards
It’s the game plan
It’s the coach
It’s the bus driver
It’s his mum not putting enough Vegemite on his toast
It’s the weather
It’s the culture
It’s Mabo
It’s the serenity
It’s Brooks life matters
It’s covid
It’s the price of Bananas after a cyclone
It’s the colour of his boots
It’s the ball
It’s the refs
It’s the vibe
It’s the media putting big wraps on him too early
It’s his carspot at training
It’s single mums
It’s the phase of the moon
It’s Demons
It’s the Devil

3 try assists,
C’mon Lukey boy you can do better mate.

Is there a halfback under more pressure in 2021?

You are not the only fan disappointed with how his career has gone. But please be more reasonable in your assessment.
Can you name one halfback who would’ve been competent in taking this team to the finals over the last 7 years? Or capable of making us a Top 4 quality team in the same period? A halfback good enough to elevate this whole team?
Because I’m not sure if I’m following you correctly and it sounds like you think Brooks is a big failure for not successfully doing this by now.
That would’ve been a complete miracle, considering the sole responsibility doesn’t fall on one player but rather how the team is made up and plays as a unit. The most ever-changing one in the NRL, at that. With the coaching instability to go with it.

Fair enough you feel a certain way and think he’s unable to lead the team to glory but some of your points relate to factors which are not of Luke’s account and exclude the biggest reason or highest contributing factors on why teams are excelling. (They have had dominant forward packs, well established combinations with their spine players, great strike players etc., etc.).
I believe the last time we had a team that closely resembled this was in 2010 and 2011.
So, it’s any wonder the trajectory of his development and career has gone so wayward given the inconsistency has always been at foundation level.
Honestly don’t see how any player in his position could’ve thrived in this environment. I otherwise couldn’t agree more you though, that last year should be the biggest wake up call for him.

Did you see the stats of the halfbacks of the teams that finished below us last year?

Not to be rude but could you please stop talking in riddles?!?
There’s absolutely no benefit to it, as it only means topics will continue to go around in circles.

Luke absolutely sucked in 2020. We’ve covered this - time and time again.
Same goes with discussions on his development.
To answer your question though, the answer is no. Why relive something that adds nothing new to the conversation?
Fans are probably 50/50 on Brooks. So it’s not like your thoughts or feelings are that ground breaking either.

The Harry and Liddle comparisons are also getting a little annoying.
Harry’s a gun but stop acting like the system he’s at and its culture isn’t vital to shaping his talent development or trajectory of his career.
Being part of an elite breeding ground will always trump a club treading above water and criticising players for their injury history is just plain stupid IMO.
Even more so, start having some faith in the club. Though our expectations are mostly hypothetical at this point, things are run a lot differently now and it’s only a matter of time when this will reflect on the field.

If you don’t like what I write, don’t respond, nobody is forcing you

@strongee said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@strongee said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@sleeve said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

Brooks had 3 !!! try assists last year.

Yes 3

Yeah! Brilliant observation No go forward,no attacking FB. A DH that fed one side,a backline that was slow and never beat a man one on one,and a 5/8 that at times showed skill but could not tackle.JC himself would have thrown his hands up.What about the other 16 players that took the field ?

C’mon, I could put more than 3 people over by flukes, stop the excuses, he’s an underperformer.

Let’s look at the try assists from the halfbacks of teams that finished below us last season.

Dragons - Hunt - 7
Manly - DCE - 20
Cowboys - Clifford - 5
Dogs - Lewis - 8
Broncos - Dearden - 3

Still want to make excuses that it was the rest of the teams fault that Brooks had 3 try assists?

(The same as the half of the wooden spooners)

Fogarty from the Titans came from Burleigh and got thrown into the NRL in Rd 3 and still got 10 try assists.

Drew Hutchison who only played 5 games got 2 try assists.

Flanigan who got the chop got 11 try assists.

Let’s look at the top try assists for comparison.

Johnson - 23
DCE - 20
Cleary - 17
Williams - 15
Hughes - 15

Any more excuses?

Sometimes I read your comments and think , does this guy really hate himself ? Cause nothing that happens around the team , which is basically on this forum , are you ever complimentary about . Do you have kids ? Are you this hard on them ? The dude wins halfback of the year , Nofa wins wing of the year , and guys are saying thier actually still crap , all the judges of the awards don’t know what thier talking about ! What’s more likely , that you need to change your outlook ,’or everyone else is wrong and bad judge ?

Yes I hate myself and I flog my 9 children all day everyday.

My “outlook” is one of reality, that reality is Brooks had 3 try assists last year equal to the halfback of the team that got the spoon who is pretty much a rookie half.
I don’t do the stats, just calling it as I see it and 3 try assists for a NRL halfback is below poor

Nobody is debating with you about last year . It was a bad year for him. But you keep saying he’s rubbish when he was at the top of the tree in try assists and repeat sets the 2 years prior . But people like you conveniently went quiet around that time , as well as forget that time even existed . All I want is a balanced , opinion , of which you never seem to give . On anything .even when I agree with you , it’s so ,black and white , with a complete disregard for the other persons opinion, or whether or not they may have a few good points , if their entire argument is flawed in the end . But you never acknowledge it. I personally find it frustrating , as it’s a general reflection of how this world is , and how so many people view conceding any ground as to lose the whole battle. It just closes off any chance of common ground . And you do it more than most IMO.

Are you ok?

@strongee said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@sleeve said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

Brooks had 3 !!! try assists last year.

Yes 3

Yeah! Brilliant observation No go forward,no attacking FB. A DH that fed one side,a backline that was slow and never beat a man one on one,and a 5/8 that at times showed skill but could not tackle.JC himself would have thrown his hands up.What about the other 16 players that took the field ?

C’mon, I could put more than 3 people over by flukes, stop the excuses, he’s an underperformer.

Let’s look at the try assists from the halfbacks of teams that finished below us last season.

Dragons - Hunt - 7
Manly - DCE - 20
Cowboys - Clifford - 5
Dogs - Lewis - 8
Broncos - Dearden - 3

Still want to make excuses that it was the rest of the teams fault that Brooks had 3 try assists?

(The same as the half of the wooden spooners)

Fogarty from the Titans came from Burleigh and got thrown into the NRL in Rd 3 and still got 10 try assists.

Drew Hutchison who only played 5 games got 2 try assists.

Flanigan who got the chop got 11 try assists.

Let’s look at the top try assists for comparison.

Johnson - 23
DCE - 20
Cleary - 17
Williams - 15
Hughes - 15

Any more excuses?

Sometimes I read your comments and think , does this guy really hate himself ? Cause nothing that happens around the team , which is basically on this forum , are you ever complimentary about . Do you have kids ? Are you this hard on them ? The dude wins halfback of the year , Nofa wins wing of the year , and guys are saying thier actually still crap , all the judges of the awards don’t know what thier talking about ! What’s more likely , that you need to change your outlook ,’or everyone else is wrong and bad judge ?

Yes I hate myself and I flog my 9 children all day everyday.

My “outlook” is one of reality, that reality is Brooks had 3 try assists last year equal to the halfback of the team that got the spoon who is pretty much a rookie half.
I don’t do the stats, just calling it as I see it and 3 try assists for a NRL halfback is below poor

@leck said in Luke Brooks:

@hobbo1 said in Luke Brooks:

Doohey will be the man …
Brooks sucks …

There I said it …

Could help if you could try and spell his name correctly…

I agree, Adam ‘Doueihi’ will play his best footy this year at 6

Brooks needs a smart halves partner that plays the field laterally and can stretch the opponents defensive line

When Brooks has that space, his run, passing and kicking game is excellent

Brooks needs this, Brooks needs that

@lauren said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@cktiger said in Luke Brooks:

Has there ever been a player given so many excuses for under performing as Brooks?
He’s got talent but obviously not much nous.
Keep taking the wrong options this year and he’ll be saying goodbye.
Looks like we might finally have a younger halfback to put some pressure on him.

The excuses just keep rolling in it seems.

It Grants service
It’s Benji
It’s our forwards
It’s the game plan
It’s the coach
It’s the bus driver
It’s his mum not putting enough Vegemite on his toast
It’s the weather
It’s the culture
It’s Mabo
It’s the serenity
It’s Brooks life matters
It’s covid
It’s the price of Bananas after a cyclone
It’s the colour of his boots
It’s the ball
It’s the refs
It’s the vibe
It’s the media putting big wraps on him too early
It’s his carspot at training
It’s single mums
It’s the phase of the moon
It’s Demons
It’s the Devil

3 try assists,
C’mon Lukey boy you can do better mate.

Is there a halfback under more pressure in 2021?

You are not the only fan disappointed with how his career has gone. But please be more reasonable in your assessment.
Can you name one halfback who would’ve been competent in taking this team to the finals over the last 7 years? Or capable of making us a Top 4 quality team in the same period? A halfback good enough to elevate this whole team?
Because I’m not sure if I’m following you correctly and it sounds like you think Brooks is a big failure for not successfully doing this by now.
That would’ve been a complete miracle, considering the sole responsibility doesn’t fall on one player but rather how the team is made up and plays as a unit. The most ever-changing one in the NRL, at that. With the coaching instability to go with it.

Fair enough you feel a certain way and think he’s unable to lead the team to glory but some of your points relate to factors which are not of Luke’s account and exclude the biggest reason or highest contributing factors on why teams are excelling. (They have had dominant forward packs, well established combinations with their spine players, great strike players etc., etc.).
I believe the last time we had a team that closely resembled this was in 2010 and 2011.
So, it’s any wonder the trajectory of his development and career has gone so wayward given the inconsistency has always been at foundation level.
Honestly don’t see how any player in his position could’ve thrived in this environment. I otherwise couldn’t agree more you though, that last year should be the biggest wake up call for him.

Did you see the stats of the halfbacks of the teams that finished below us last year?

@sleeve said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@speed2burn said in Luke Brooks:

@fibrodreaming said in Luke Brooks:

@twentyforty said in Luke Brooks:

What I would like to see in his game , is a little more of opportunism as we saw when kicking that FG to give his side a win

A number have made the point that the service to Brooks last year contributed to his disappointing season.

I think that the FG you refer to is an example of what Brooks can do with good service. The pass from Liddle was perfection. I came to Brooks so quickly and was so perfectly placed that he had plenty of time to nail it. Which he did with aplomb.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Liddle and Brooks combine this year. If the forwards can get some quick PTBs, then both will be in for a big year.

Liddle and Brooks have ALWAYS combined well. Given they have trained together now for 4 odd years you’d expect that but Liddles deceptively quick feet to scoop the ball off the ground, draw the markers in and get the forwards running full pelt can’t be underestimated. This in turn puts opposition defense on the back foot just by certain little things due to liddles speed out of the ruck.
It also allows Brooks to run with freedom the next play.

Honestly Liddle reminds me of a young Farah it’s just a shame he’s had such an interupted career

And Grant wasn’t doing this last season?

Brooks was playing off the back of arguably the best 9 the game has seen in quite a while, the kid is no joke, destroyed NSW in his origin debut.
And yet Brooks only managed 3 try assists.

Is Liddle better than Grant?

NSW was destroyed by the old mate Penrith connection of bare foot Freddy and Alexander the greats big heads and Teddys injury.Destroyed ? Grant was good and gives 100% but i think he is a touch overated.This year will tell.

Watch the game again, when Grant came on NSW couldn’t handle him.

He’s the real deal trust me.

@speed2burn said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@speed2burn said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@speed2burn said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@speed2burn said in Luke Brooks:

@fibrodreaming said in Luke Brooks:

@twentyforty said in Luke Brooks:

What I would like to see in his game , is a little more of opportunism as we saw when kicking that FG to give his side a win

A number have made the point that the service to Brooks last year contributed to his disappointing season.

I think that the FG you refer to is an example of what Brooks can do with good service. The pass from Liddle was perfection. I came to Brooks so quickly and was so perfectly placed that he had plenty of time to nail it. Which he did with aplomb.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Liddle and Brooks combine this year. If the forwards can get some quick PTBs, then both will be in for a big year.

Liddle and Brooks have ALWAYS combined well. Given they have trained together now for 4 odd years you’d expect that but Liddles deceptively quick feet to scoop the ball off the ground, draw the markers in and get the forwards running full pelt can’t be underestimated. This in turn puts opposition defense on the back foot just by certain little things due to liddles speed out of the ruck.
It also allows Brooks to run with freedom the next play.

Honestly Liddle reminds me of a young Farah it’s just a shame he’s had such an interupted career

And Grant wasn’t doing this last season?

Brooks was playing off the back of arguably the best 9 the game has seen in quite a while, the kid is no joke, destroyed NSW in his origin debut.
And yet Brooks only managed 3 try assists.

Is Liddle better than Grant?

I don’t understand how you got that in your head. I’m saying Liddles attributes contribute to better game play by Brooks, because they have known each other longer.

Grant is a brilliant player but we were miles away from making the 8 let’s be honest, Id rather a team of performers than just a couple of stand outs, wouldn’t you?

So you think Liddle will make Brooks a better player than Grant could?

It’s always ‘someone else’ that is going to improve Brooks, have you noticed the theme yet?

I just don’t know what you’re trying to say, that’s why I’m asking.

No I’m saying they play a different style of dummy half mate. And Brooks is much more accustomed to Liddle’s style.

Do you honestly think Damien Cook and Cameron Smith’s style of play is the same? no. That’s what i’m trying to say with Liddle and Grant

So you think Brooks is more accustomed to Liddles style, but that “won’t” make Brooks a better player?

You’re confusing yourself at this point bud.

Anyone with an ounce of footy IQ knows that Brooks combined better with Liddle compared to Grant. Somehow you turned it into me thinking Grant > Liddle which is not what I meant at all

Just answer the question, it’s a yes or no answer.

I asked if you think Liddle would make Brooks a better player than Grant could?

And you said “No” Brooks is accustomed better to Liddles style.

So I asked
So you think Brooks is accustomed better to Liddles style, but that won’t make him a better player?

Maybe I’ll try again
Do you think Brooks will be a better player with Liddle at 9 than he was with Grant at 9?

C’mon, let’s clear this up with a simple Yes or No

@tigerbuck63 said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@tigerbuck63 said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

@sleeve said in Luke Brooks:

@hangonaminute said in Luke Brooks:

Brooks had 3 !!! try assists last year.

Yes 3

Yeah! Brilliant observation No go forward,no attacking FB. A DH that fed one side,a backline that was slow and never beat a man one on one,and a 5/8 that at times showed skill but could not tackle.JC himself would have thrown his hands up.What about the other 16 players that took the field ?

C’mon, I could put more than 3 people over by flukes, stop the excuses, he’s an underperformer.

Let’s look at the try assists from the halfbacks of teams that finished below us last season.

Dragons - Hunt - 7
Manly - DCE - 20
Cowboys - Clifford - 5
Dogs - Lewis - 8
Broncos - Dearden - 3

Still want to make excuses that it was the rest of the teams fault that Brooks had 3 try assists?

(The same as the half of the wooden spooners)

Fogarty from the Titans came from Burleigh and got thrown into the NRL in Rd 3 and still got 10 try assists.

Drew Hutchison who only played 5 games got 2 try assists.

Flanigan who got the chop got 11 try assists.

Let’s look at the top try assists for comparison.

Johnson - 23
DCE - 20
Cleary - 17
Williams - 15
Hughes - 15

Any more excuses?

Good stats relating to other teams.
Other factors need to consider are,
Brooks was dropped for a few games based upon form.
Benji factor demanding the ball.
Forwards not making meters.

Not making excuses for Brooks clean slate this year let’s see how he performs has in the past needs to show that with an improved roster and no Benji can step up.
Let’s hope he can we have invested lots of time & $.

He’s a dud mate, the quicker we realise he’s not going to take us deep into the semi finals or win us a comp the better.

Let’s give him an opportunity this year to show either way, i don’t think that a reasonable thing to ask.

Put my nuts on it Brooks is shopped next season.

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