Luke Brooks: I committed to Wests Tigers knowing rest of 'big four' could leave
Michael Chammas
Published: April 18, 2017 - 10:00PM
Luke Brooks was told that if he re-signed with the Wests Tigers there was a possibility he would be the only member of the so-called "big four" to be at the club next season. He still signed.
The Tigers halfback has opened up on the tumultuous past few months that eventually led to him committing the next two years of his career to the club.
It was only after Jason Taylor's sacking, when it became increasingly obvious Ivan Cleary would take over the reins, that Brooks finally decided he wanted to put an end to the speculation.
Since then, Mitchell Moses has signed with Parramatta for next season and Aaron Woods and James Tedesco have had four-year offers put on the table from the Bulldogs. But Brooks insists he has no regrets.
"It was just before the Melbourne game – I spoke to a few people and they told me there's a big chance not all the boys are going to stay," Brooks told Fairfax Media. "My manager asked me if I was comfortable with that and I said 'Yeah, I'm comfortable with it either way'. I love the club. It would have been hard for me to leave. I like the direction the club is going in. Obviously having the new coach coming in and knowing he's going to be here for three years helps.
"It gives us some security there. Before we didn't know who the coach was going to be or if JT was going to stay and all that stuff. It's good to know they'll have Ivan here for three years – that helped with the decision."
Brooks has heard all the criticism. He's heard the Tigers should have signed Moses instead of him. He's heard that he hasn't lived up to the hype. Deep down he admits he hasn't developed at the rate he would have hoped, but there were some challenges during the Taylor regime that may have hampered his progression.
"I think when JT first came it didn't really suit me but over the few years he let us take more control," Brooks said. "I think that did sort of suit me but I wasn't playing as good as I thought I could be playing and what I know I could play. Maybe with Ivan coming in it's going to help me. He said he can help me grow as a player.
"If I'm being honest, I thought I probably would have been a bit further ahead at this point in my career but due to certain things I'm probably not. Halfbacks, at a young age ... you see a lot of halves hit their peak at about 26 or 27. I'm only 22. I have a lot of learning and developing to do."
Brooks burst on the scene as a player with enormous potential, and was likened to a young Andrew Johns when he took the field at the Sydney Cricket Ground against the Dragons on his debut as a teenager back in 2013.
It was at the expense of club legend Benji Marshall, who shifted into the centres to accommodate Brooks. The pressure was a burden Brooks admits he struggled to deal with.
"For a kid to have never played first grade, get all that hype, it was ridiculous," Brooks said. "Everyone put me up high and said I was the next [Andrew Johns], so once I had a bad game, everyone starts to think he's overrated. People think I'm the one saying I'm the next Joey but it wasn't. The same people who said that then turned and said the complete opposite. I hated that attention. I still find it awkward.
"When I was younger and opened the paper and saw myself in it I would find it weird. Or if I was at home watching TV and they start talking about me – whether it's good or bad – I still find it awkward to listen to, especially when I'm with other people."
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...-of-big-four-could-leave-20170418-gvmt7e.html
