The evening Manly took Luke Brooks from the Tigers seriously
Earlier last year, Luke Brooks was playing one of his best performances at Leichhardt Oval when he heard Wests Tigers fans yell his name.
On that crisp fall evening, the Tigers easily defeated North Queensland 66–18, and in his 200th game, Brooks did not make a mistake.
That evening persuaded Manly to pursue the playmaker, and a covert scheme to force Brooks to leave his junior club was initiated.
For the first time on Friday, Brooks appeared outside of Manly wearing maroon and white. It will take Brooks some time to adjust to his new surroundings and uniform after spending 11 seasons with the Tigers and frequently being the target of taunts from the crowd after each of the team’s many defeats.
Brooks’s first training session came while Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold was traveling across the Pacific to America.
However, he described to this masthead how he saw Brooks thrash the Cowboys in round 12, and why it was obvious shortly after the end of regulation that the 28-year-old would be a huge hit on the Northern Beaches.
“He was fantastic that night against the Cowboys; it was probably the best game he’s ever played,” Seibold remarked.
“His tactical kicking game was pretty strong, and I also remember him kicking really well in the rain when the Tigers defeated Penrith.
“However, his approach to playing against the Cowboys and his footwork really caught my attention, leading me to believe that he could be a valuable asset to our team.”
Against the Cowboys, Brooks kicked early in the tackle count and kept running. Following the match, Tigers coach Tim Sheens famously responded to critics of Brooks by saying, “People on Twitter give him grief, and as far as I’m concerned, they can take their Twitter and shove it.”
Sheens desired for Brooks to remain. More than Seibold desired him.
He was the Dally M halfback of the year in 2018, if you go back that far. Due to the nature of the club he was attending, there have also been some difficult moments.
“One of our weapons is Cherry’s [Cherry-Evans’] kicking technique, and Brooksy’s left foot can relieve some of the pressure.”
Because of his skill as a footy runner, he gives our game an additional attacking dimension.
Even though he is only 28, he has a wealth of expertise.
“We want to embrace him and give him a sense of acceptance at our club.
When he’s smiling and enjoying his game, he plays his greatest football. When he played for Ivan [Cleary], in my opinion, he had his best year and appeared to be the happiest.
“All he needs to do is come here, have fun, and focus on himself.”
Front-rower and former Tigers favorite Aaron Woods pushed the team to move quickly to bring Brooks to Manly after learning that the player might be going there.
“This will be the best thing that happens to that kid; Brooksy needed a fresh start,” Woods remarked.
When Brooksy was with the Tigers, a lot was at stake each and every week. It detracts from the best aspect of his game because he was thinking he needed to accomplish 10,000 things when he was there.
“He just needs to be Luke Brooks; he doesn’t have to be the big dog; he can just enjoy his footy. There won’t be any pressure on him at Manly.” Nothing will be pressing down on his shoulders.
He’s terrifying when he feels he should run first. Upon hearing that they were examining Brooksy, I immediately shouted, “Try and get him now.”
Rugby league romantics would have swooned to watch Brooks play his last games for the Tigers.
Some cap relief is granted to players who have been with the team for a long time, but much more might be done to encourage loyalty.
Though the squad hasn’t won a championship since his rookie year, Cherry-Evans has more than lived up to his enormous $10 million eight-year contract with Manly.
Brooks has always been a five-eighth wearing a No. 7 jersey, let’s face it. Legendary Tigers player Chris Lawrence, who played 253 games, even went so far as to say that Brooks had a legitimate shot of winning the 2024 Dally M five-eighth player of the year award.
Even though Benji Marshall called the plays that season while wearing the No. 6, the trophy would look good next to the medals for the Dally M rookie of the year in 2014 and the Dally M halfback of the year in 2018.
Lawrence remarked, “I really wouldn’t be surprised if he wins the Dally M five-eighth of the year.”
“His time with Mitch Moses was when he played the best football.” Although Brooksy was ranked No. 7 and Mitch was ranked No. 6, Mitch performed more like
The same thing happened in 2018 when Brooksy, who played with Benji Marshall, took home the halfback of the year award despite Benji doing the majority of the field directing.
“Brooksy is an excellent number six, and he will perform at his best now that he gets to play with Daly, a traditional number seven.”
