Even when he won the Daily M halfback of the year, not many really would have rated him the best half of that year, if anyone would but you maybe.
He was playing in a team that he stood out in so got more points, but in reality he had a good season, but hardly great. That type of award as I'm sure you are aware can so often be misleading due to the other calibre of players in your team and the teams overall effort that season, all vying for the 1, 2 and 3 points.
Anyway I do rate him to a certain extent, but he is not worth anywhere near $700K, other then that one season that he won the Daily M. Every other season he has played on performance he has played no better then $500K and as low as $200K, like right now. Sure clubs have to pay a little more for a decent half and the Tigers a little more still, but in this case, the Tigers have really misjudged his ability and mental capacity to deliver. But I don't think any other club would have gone close to $900K to sign him. The Tigers are just a basket case. Most clubs would not have gone over $500-$600k not on what he has been delivering but one what they think they could turn him into.
What he has been delivering for all but one season is yoyo performances that make him a sub par half who even when the opportunity is there, he doesn't execute the right play, often stuffs up the kick or goes missing altogether. I'm not talking about when his team is on the back foot, sure I don't expect him to be the 8th Immortal under those circumstances, I'm taking about when his team is getting dominance in the ruck or better and plenty of ball, he still stuffs up and doesn't dominate the way a $500-700K half should. He plays like a $200-400K rookie, very patchy, that still has to many mistakes in him or doesn't take the initiative and drive the plays with his stamp on the game anywhere near enough for such an experienced player.
Is it to many years of bad coaching and bad teams? Well I'm sure we will see soon when he is finally given a release, but we won't know for sure until the end of 2023 or even 2024 with a season or two at the new club under his belt. But at this point I think he is more of a support play making half that can't handle the full-on pressure that being the primary brings, so ultimately this is why I don't rate him all that much. At his best he is worth around $500-600K. Anything more then that you are paying to much. He also could be a decent Utility just like Hindy said, and play a covering role of either half position and dummy half and at a pinch, fullback or centre. But would he like that and respond well, who knows?
Bottom line at present he is a sub par half who is playing very poorly in big patches of games. Yes he has the potential to be a solid to good half, but that is on potential and at this point and time of his career, to be talking of potential is indicative of a player that has never reached it and quite sad really. But whoever signs him will be doing just that signing a player who will be turning 28 years old by the end of this year, on potential.
Look at Tom Dearden at the Cowboys. When at the Broncos he was a real dud, rarely got it right, but was decent trier. I would watch him and at times shake my head as to why he would take this option or that, or make a real mess of it all together. But I also understood that he was a rookie trying to get his game going in a badly beaten team with a lot of other kids that were also trying to find their feet in that NRL.
Anyway he wasn't showing much so I wasn't surprise all that much when the Broncs let him go to the Cowboys mid last season. Well from the moment he started to play for them I noticed a much more committed and purposeful Dearden that just kept trying and trying. He would popup everywhere even more then when at the Broncs and have much more of a go. Sure he was still making mistakes or making the wrong call, but he was really taking his efforts to another level game after game. I couldn't help but watch him more and more and admire him and his determination. He was doing this in a team just as bad as the Broncs if not worse, so what changed?
Well we will never really know, but my point is he is the sort of player that Brooks should have been, but isn't. Brooks goes missing and doesn't apply himself like a playmaker that wants to be there and dominate each set with his style and performance that instills a confidence in the rest of the team that they jump on the back of like quality halves do. Dearden to me will be that type of player and as expected after seeing the improvement in him last year, has only gone up another gear this season already. He is still only a baby and still making mistakes but learning in the process and even when he makes a mistake doesn't go into his shell and just keeps trying. If he keeps applying himself like this, I expect within a year or two for Dearden to be a top flight half that can and will produce very consistent week in, week out performance. Something that Brooks has rarely ever done. I would have cut Brooks years ago and or reduced his salary down to around $400-500k, which is still overs really for what he is producing. Give me Dearden any day over a 10 year veteran that is up and down more then BonesOnBones members underwear on a night of a full moon extravaganza.
