Wests Tigers cub tied up by NRL red tape

NRL CEO Dave Smith should open the door for young Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks to debut in the best interest of the game's future.  

NEW NRL boss Dave Smith keeps telling us about his vision for the game's future.

If Smith wants to make a start on tomorrow he should open the door for young Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks to debut next Friday night against the Parramatta Eels.

The struggling Tigers plan to go to the NRL in the coming days and ask for a second-tier salary cap exemption.

The match against the last-placed Eels has no bearing on the finals make-up and would be the perfect opportunity to give Brooks some experience before he officially takes over from Benji next year.

This is a decision that will not only benefit Brooks and the Tigers but the game itself.

Brooks is the 18-year-old Balmain junior considered by many good judges, including Andrew Johns, as a player with the potential to be one of the game's next superstars.

But he has been held back for months now by red tape.

Despite training with the Tigers' top squad for most of the season, Brooks hasn't been able to make his first-grade debut because the Tigers have no room left in the second-tier salary cap, which is a direct result of their shocking run of injuries this year.

This is where Smith needs to take charge.

One of the main reasons this second-tier salary cap system was introduced was to stop clubs stockpiling the best talent and making it unfair on those who couldn't compete financially. 

But in Brooks' case he is a local kid who played junior footy for Leichhardt Wanderers and went to school at nearby Holy Cross Ryde. 

Last year he was a member of the Tigers' premiership-winning SG Ball squad and represented the Australian schoolboys.

You would assume the natural progression would be to see how he lines up against the big boys, especially as coach Mick Potter thinks he's ready.

But Brooks is being held back by a system that just isn't flexible enough to accommodate circumstances that are at times beyond any club's control. 

Penrith had a similar problem earlier this season when they couldn't play young fullback Matt Moylan.

Last year it was the same deal at the Newcastle Knights with Korbin Sims.

Any club that has been hit hard by injury in recent seasons could offer similar examples.

Yet Smith announced on Wednesday it was time to bring the salary cap into the future.

The ARL Commission has approved the terms of reference for a review of the salary cap which will be carried out during the next four months.

This review is sure to include a revamping the second-tier salary cap but that doesn't help the Tigers now. 

Next year is a long way away for Tigers fans and what happens between now and then could impact significantly on the club.

With Benji leaving, Brooks will be thrown into the firing line and like any young playmaker it is going to take time for him to find his feet. He will rise, and he will fall.

Coaches tell you it is often a case of one step forward, two steps back for even the best young halves because of the physicality of NRL football and the fact opposition teams target them so heavily.

The Tigers know giving Brooks a few games this year will only assist his development. But the other important point to consider is what Brooks' emergence could mean to the game overall.

The battle of western Sydney is not a myth, and while Benji's football has gone backwards this year one thing you can't question is his marketability.

He is going to leave a huge hole when he leaves for rugby union. Giving fans a taste of the future can only promote interest and maybe also help the Tigers sell some memberships.

Rugby league was once a game where kids were encouraged to grow up with the dream of playing for their local team.

Now the future is held back by bureaucracy.