Quote:
The problem is he's earning $xxx." There you go Phil, I fixed it for you, he is not a $900k playmeker
There is turmoil at the Tigers with big money halfback Luke Brooks reportedly unhappy at the club which slumped to 0-2 after an insipid display in a 26-4 loss to the Knights in Round 2.
Speaking on
Sky Sports radio, Phil Rothfield questioned the logic in keeping an unhappy player at the club, who commands a large chunk of the Tigers’ salary cap and twice asked for a release in the off-season.
“Obviously you can’t blame one player for their performance, but he asked for a release not once, but twice, during the off-season,” Rothfield said on
The Big Sports Breakfast.
“And it was about him not enjoying his football there. He was desperately keen to go to Newcastle and replace Mitchell Pearce in the halves before they signed Clune from St. George Illawarra.
“He’s just not happy there, and a couple of the senior boys there - I thought Tyrone Peachey was awful yesterday.
“He was undisciplined. If this side is going to get better this year, they’ve got to turn to their experienced players, and Brooks and Peachey just aren’t aiming up.”
Brooks had 21 run metres, 26 tackles with three misses, a penalty conceded and zero try, linebreak or assist involvements against the Knights and he looked frustrated and disinterested at times.
Laurie Daley believes the Tigers need to consider letting Brooks go, even if they have to chip in for him to play elsewhere if he is not happy at the club.
“That worries me if he’s not happy there,” Daley said.
“If that’s the case, you’ve got to make some changes. If he’s not happy, and he’s not out there. And the playing group, if they know that, and if you’re not getting performances that are up to scratch by Luke Brooks, you’re better off letting him go.
“You’re better off saying, ‘Listen, this is not working, if you’re not happy and we’re going to get performances like this.’ Because they need to do something differently.”
Rothfield pointed out that Brooks’ hefty contract could prove a stumbling block in letting him go, as will the matter of his replacement given Adam Doueihi is out injured until mid-season.
“The problem is he’s a $900k playmaker,” Rothfield said.
“So they let Luke Brooks go, OK. Now, this club has had a massive problem trying to bring new people in. And it’s something I don’t like saying about Madge, but he has had trouble bringing in good players that can lift them from where they currently are.
“So what do they do if they let [Luke Brooks go]? I guess they move Jackson Hastings to halfback?”
“Yeah, let him [Hastings] go to 7, and then you’ve got Doueihi coming back,” Daley replied.
“But he’ll be back mid-season. But I don’t know, if they’re going to keep Luke Brooks, and he’s not happy, I think it’s just a recipe for disaster.”
However, Rothfield believes potential suitors for Brooks’ services will be in short supply if he keeps playing the way he is at the moment.
“Luke Brooks isn’t doing himself any favours with the football he’s playing either,” Rothfield said.
“But he just doesn’t look like he’s desperate. He’s another one of these football players I wish we’d had the opportunity to see in a better football side, like Melbourne or Manly, or the Roosters - just to see how he does go with more class around him.
“But look, it wasn’t that long ago that he was Dally M halfback of the year. It was three years ago.”
Rothfield also questioned whether Michael Maguire deserves criticism for not having his players up for a fight in terms of their energy, especially at the start of the season.
“Whose fault is it when there’s no energy in the football side?” Rothfield asked.
“Does that come back to the coach and the way the team’s been prepared for the game? And I don’t want to bag Madge, because he’s a really good fella.
‘Just not happy’: Tigers’ ‘recipe for disaster’ revealed after $900k star’s ‘desperate’ plea
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