NRL 2023: The 12 players who could replace Luke Brooks at Wests Tigers

Brooks’ defection to Manly leaves the Tigers scrambling to find new playmaker for 2024, and while they have some young cubs in the system, Wests may need to look overseas. See the 12 top contenders.

A dozen halfbacks have emerged as possible replacements for departing Wests Tigers star Luke Brooks.

Brooks signed a four-year deal at Manly on Monday, leaving Wests Tigers searching for a new playmaker to start 2024.

Adam Doueihi continues to recover from an ACL and may not return until the middle of next season, perhaps later. It is Doueihi’s third tear in his left knee.

With Brooks currently out with a hamstring injury, Brandon Wakeham has assumed the halfback role but he comes off contract after this season and is yet to be re-signed.

Wests Tigers are confident a batch of the club’s gold-plated rookies will emerge but that may be another two to three years away.

The club may head to England to find a replacement.

Luke Brooks is heading to Manly but who will take his spot at the Tigers? Picture: Getty Images.

Candidates to replace Brooks include:

JONAH PEZET (Storm)

Amazing potential. Still has two years remaining on his Melbourne Storm contract but may seek to nail down his own NRL halfback spot given he sits behind star incumbent Jahrome Hughes.

BLAKE TAAFFE (Souths)

Off contract after this season. Primarily a fullback at Souths but can play in the halves. Contested the 2021 grand final after just eight NRL games. Played in the halves during Jersey Flegg.

KYLE FLANAGAN (Canterbury)

Has shifted between NRL halfback and NSW Cup dummy half for Canterbury this season. Played top-level halfback at Cronulla and Roosters. Was strongly linked to Manly earlier this season. Off contract at the end of this year.

Penrith’s Jack Cogger has impressed in the absence of Nathan Cleary and could be ready to take the next step.

JACK COGGER (Panthers)

Continues to impress as Nathan Cleary’s understudy at Penrith. Off contract after this season and may look to leave the star-studded Panthers to secure his own starting position. Previously played with Newcastle, Canterbury and Huddersfield.

AIDAN SEZER (Leeds)

Yet to re-sign with Leeds Rhinos. Played in the 2019 grand final for Canberra and was a previous nominee for England’s man of steel award.

DAINE LAURIE (Wests Tigers)

Could the solution to Wests Tigers’ halves dilemma be sitting right in front of them? Has been on the outer this year but brings speed and an x-factor. Phil Gould, when discussing Laurie, said: “I believe he’s a six.”

Could England international George Williams be ready for an NRL return? Picture: Getty Images.

BLAKE AUSTIN (Leeds)

Like Sezer, remains unsigned by Leeds. Electric attacking player who has previously played with Wests Tigers.

DREW HUTCHISON (Roosters)

Utility player who has excelled in the Roosters system. Off contract after this season and could comfortably find himself permanently in the halves.

GEORGE WILLIAMS (Warrington)

A success during his tenure at Canberra. Tough competitor. Signed long-term with Warrington so Wests Tigers would need to provide compensation, as the club did with John Bateman.

Toby Sexton has fallen out of favour at the Titans and could benefit from a switch. Picture: Getty Images.

STARFORD TO’A (Wests Tigers)

Essentially a winger, fullback or centre but has substituted at five-eighth to cover for the injured Brooks this season.

JAEMAN SALMON (Penrith)

Strong bench player who could clinch a starting halves spot by leaving the Panthers. Off contract after this season.

TOBY SEXTON (Gold Coast)

Told he could shift to St George Illawarra in a swap for Ben Hunt. Only played one NRL game this season and may look to move on.

DID MANLY JUST SECURE THE 2024 NRL BUY OF THE YEAR?

—Paul Crawley

Don’t be surprised this time next year if Luke Brooks is in the conversation for NRL buy of the year, while the blowtorch is now directly on Josh Schuster to finally live up to his enormous potential and price tag.

After years of being bagged for being overpaid at Wests Tigers, there is just no denying Manly has secured Brooks for what by NRL playmaker wages is a bargain price on roughly $700,000-a-season for the next four years.

That cuts Brooks’ wage considerably from the whopping $1.15m the Tigers are currently paying him.

But on the flip side of Brooks’ pending arrival to be Daly Cherry-Evans’ new halves partner, it also leaves the Sea Eagles with a potential $800,000-a-season headache after Schuster agreed to a three year deal that will see him return to the back row.

The arrival of Luke Brooks (C) will break up the Daly Cherry-Evans (L) and Josh Schuster (R) halves pairing.

While no one questions Schuster’s prodigious talent, there has to be a huge question mark hanging over whether Schuster has the mental and physical toughness to handle that transition (even though he has played their previously) given what we’ve seen from him more recently playing in the halves.

WHY BROOKS IS WORTH THE RISK

For a decade now Brooks has played with the weight of the world on his shoulders that has come as a direct result of being compared to Andrew Johns back when Brooks was still playing under 20s.

And what didn’t help was the lack of stability throughout his entire career at the Tigers.

You can’t underestimate how difficult it would have been realising his potential given Brooks played under seven different coaches, while trying to spark up a combination with 14 different halves partners and as many different dummy halves.

Yet you look back on 2018 under Ivan Cleary and he finished the season as Dally M halfback of the year which proves what he’s capable of.

Another issue for Brooks has been that despite his obvious talent, he is not at his best when burdened with the responsibility of directing a team around the field, but he has thrived when allowed to concentrate on what can be a brilliant running game.

That’s why playing five-eighth outside the Manly and Queensland captain should be like a breath of fresh air for Brooks who can leave the running of the team to DCE and focus on his own strengths.

And despite being in the NRL for a decade now you forget Brooks is still only 28, traditionally the period in a halves’ career when they are coming into their best footy years.

While the Tigers offered Brooks a low-ball contract worth just short of $600,000-a-season, he’s made the right choice leaving regardless.

He’s been crying out for a fresh start for several seasons now, and if he didn’t make the move now it would have been potentially too late the next time his contract was up.

Josh Schuster certainly has the size to play edge forward,

CAN SCHUSTER COMBINE TALENT AND TOUGHNESS?

By any estimations Schuster’s new three-year offer that will put him up among the highest paid backrowers is a massive gamble for a player who is yet to prove he can deliver consistently on his talent.

To put it in perspective the only edge backrowers on more money are David Fifita on $1m, Nelson Asofa-Solomona on $850,000 and Marata Niukore on $840,000.

And the two key question the 22-year-old is still to answer is firstly if he’s willing to make the move from five-eighth (where he has previously indicated he wanted to play), and secondly whether he has the toughness, physically and mentally, to cut it as an edge forward.

Even though he has played in the back row in the past with some success, if you look around at the type of players who excel in this position they are men who combine toughness with talent.

Think of John Bateman, Viliame Kikau, Liam Martin, Hudson Young, Fifita, Keaon Koloamatangi, Jeremiah Nanai, Briton Nikora, Isaiah Papali’i, Niukore, and in recent weeks big Asofa-Solomona has revelled in his switch.

Yet only last round we saw Asofa-Solomona stroll past Schuster in the Storm’s win over the Sea Eagles where Schuster threw out a lazy arm like he couldn’t have cared less.

Does Josh Schuster have a work ethic problem? #NRLpic.twitter.com/ejqD08qiS0

— SEN 1170 (@1170sen) May 2, 2023

Schuster also had to take time off this year to get his body in shape after copping a very public dressing down from his captain.

He will obviously have to put on more weight with a move back to the forwards, which will probably be to his liking.

But while there is no doubt he has the talent to handle the move, will he have the desire to roll his sleeves and get down in the trenches like the position requires — instead of just want to always come up with the spectacular play?

If he does he could emerge as one of the game’s best edge forwards in years to come, but if he doesn’t he will just continue to be a huge burden on Manly’s salary cap.

And don’t forget the Sea Eagles already have Haumole Olakau’atu and Ethan Bullemor as their starting edge backrowers, while the injured Kelma Tuilagi has two years to run on his deal.

The often injured Tom Trbojevic takes up a big chunk of salary cap. Picture: Getty Images

SALARY CAP STRAIN

The elephant in the room when it comes to the Sea Eagles’ salary cap is the fact that the club’s six highest paid players don’t all have a history of delivering great value for money for one reason or another.

Tom Trbojevic’s growing list of injuries is obviously the biggest issue given Turbo has now only played 55 games in the last five seasons but chews up $1.15 on the salary cap and is signed until the end of 2026.

And while Cherry-Evans on $1.2m and Jake Trbojevic $950,000 are the heart and soul of this team, the jury’s still out to some degree on Olakau’atu on $650,000, and certainly Schuster on $800,000, while Brooks’ $660,000 will be a bargain but only if he finally delivers on his true potential.

The other issue in this that will anger many Manly fans is the fact Brooks’ arrival has also seen boom teenager Latu Fainu sign with the Tigers. Fainu, 18, is regarded as arguably the hottest young halves prospect coming through the game, and now the Sea Eagles have swapped him for a player 10 years older and with a massive question mark hanging over him. Time will tell if it is the right call.