NRL 2021: Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks should switch positions, says Benji Marshall
A rebuilt roster had the Tigers dreaming big of ending their finals exile. But two hefty defeats have brought them crashing back to earth and brought about a stinging rebuke from the boss.
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Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire has reacted savagely to last week’s pummelling from the Sydney Roosters by dumping high-profile centre Joey Leilua to reserve grade.
It comes as Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis has backed his underachieving playing roster but conceded their performances this season had been “unacceptable and disappointing.”
“I agree there were signs in the first two rounds which were of concern, absolutely, it would be silly to deny that,” Hagipantelis said.
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Wests Tigers have conceded 70 points in the opening two matches this year and face unbeaten Newcastle this Sunday at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Maguire will enter the match with Tommy Talau and James Roberts — who missed the Roosters game through injury — as his centres.
Leilua was poor defensively against the Roosters and will line-up for Wests Magpies in a NSW Cup curtain-raiser against Newcastle on Sunday.
Another high-profile player, Russell Packer, has also been named in the Magpies side. Leilua and Packer would be combined salaries worth $1.5 million.
While trying to remain upbeat about his side’s prospects this season, Hagipantelis watched on from Campbelltown Stadium grandstand last weekend as his Tigers were whacked 40-6 by Sydney Roosters.
This from a playing roster that was boosted throughout summer through the additions of James Tamou, James Roberts, Stefano Utoikamanu, Joe Ofahengaue and Daine Laurie.
“Perhaps we were a little ambitious and expecting an immediate response to the new roster, maybe it takes a little time to gel. These are the things Michael (Maguire) and the coaching staff will address,” Hagipantelis said.
“Was it disappointing? Absolutely. It needs to turn around and quickly. The potential there needs to be exposed.
“I agree there were signs in the first two rounds which were of concern, absolutely, it would be silly to deny that. But there is still a long way to go.
“The important thing to remember is that it is only two games. And the other important thing is we have recruited exceptionally well. We have really added to our roster but that wasn’t reflective in our first two rounds.
“All I can do is echo and endorse Michael’s comments after the game — it was all very disappointing and unacceptable.
“Michael is the coach and he is charged with the responsibility of getting the best from these players and we are confident that will occur. Coaching is Michael’s domain and the board provides the support we need to provide the faith and confidence these players can turn it around.”
Wests Tigers have drifted from $41 to $67 with the TAB for the NRL premiership.
“They are charged with the responsibility of performing, they are professional sportsmen,” Hagipantelis said “We expect their best and I am confident they will deliver. The minute those boys pull that jumper on and run into the paddock, they give their best.”
‘He needs help’: Benji’s plan to ssave struggling Brooks
Club legend Benji Marshall believes former teammate Luke Brooks should shift from halfback and “needs more help from the people around him” to succeed at the Wests Tigers.
Tigers coach Michael Maguire wielded the axe on Tuesday dropping centre Joey Leilua to NSW Cup after the Sydney Roosters ran riot against the Tigers last weekend at Campbelltown Stadium.
But Tigers great Marshall, who played 257 games for the Concord club, also believes making the call to change Brooks’ role in the side could see the 26-year old finally playing to his strengths.
“I think his strength is his running game. So if it was up to me I would be playing him at five-eighth and finding a halfback that can run the team,” Marshall said.
Adam Doueihi, who rose through the junior ranks as a halfback, started his Tigers career as a fullback but has moved to five-eighth to form a new combination with Brooks following Marshall’s departure from the Tigers last season.
Marshall said playing Doueihi at halfback, rather than in the number six jumper, could “take the pressure off him (Brooks) a bit”.
According to Marshall, the Tigers halves combination, which is only one game old, showed promise against the Roosters when the responsibility of kicking rested with Doueihi.
“I thought he (Brooks) started the game with great intent, running the footy and letting Adam do a lot of the kicking. I called the game on Triple M and I was watching pretty closely. He put in a couple of kicks he’d probably want to have again,” Marshall said.
“But they are just finding their feet with their combinations, too.
“Adam wasn’t there the first game, there’s been chop and change for them. A different hooker, too, Harry Grant is not there. So a lot of things are different.”
While Brooks is in his ninth season of NRL and has 150 games under his belt, the rest of the Tigers spine only has a total of 102 games of NRL experience combined.
Doueihi, 22, has already played 51 games but only five have been in the halves, hooker Jacob Liddle has played 46 games over six seasons and rising fullback Daine Laurie has only played five matches in total at the top level.
According to Marshall, the lack of experience has only added even more pressure on Brooks.
“There is a lot of pressure on Luke at the moment and it is probably affecting him in a way,” Marshall said.
“I think he needs more help from the people around him, that’s just my opinion.
“I know Luke pretty well. When he is on his game he doesn’t have to worry about ‘doing this, doing that’. He has other people helping him do that stuff.
“They have a couple of inexperienced halves there and an inexperienced fullback, so the weight on the world is probably on him at the moment.”
After a meteoric rise into the NRL as an 18-year old, Brooks’ talents were quickly compared to that of Newcastle legend and Immortal Andrew Johns.
Since then, pundits have criticised Brooks for not reaching a level of expectation, that Marshall believes has been unfairly placed on the halfback.
“That is everyone else‘s expectations, when he was very young he got compared to Joey straight away. That is pretty unfair because he had only played one game,” Marshall said.
“He was Dally M Halfback of the Year in 2018… you don’t get that from nothing, you don’t get that from being a bad player.
“There is something there. It’s just how do they bring that out of him, or how they unlock that.
“I feel sorry for him… I don’t like seeing anyone cop it in the media or cop it from fans. That’s the nature of that sport we are in.”
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