NRL trial takeaways: Manly recruit Luke Brooks stars, Ben Trbojevic puts Josh Schuster on notice

Manly’s Luke Brooks era started in spectacular fashion - but it wasn’t just the star signing who impressed, with one young gun making his case for an NRL debut with a stunning outing.

Who starred, who combined well, the rookie on the rise, our hot take, it’s all here and more in our exclusive Trials Takeaway series where we break down Manly’s big win over a young South Sydney team on Sunday when Luke Brooks started life at the Sea Eagles with a bang, setting up three tries in a 68-6 shellacking of the Rabbitohs in Gosford.

He only played the first half, but it was enough to show he’s on track for a big year and ready to form a formidable partnership with halfback Daly Cherry-Evans when they finally hit the park together. On the other hand, it was a horror afternoon for South Sydney’s rookie side who couldn’t match the class of the Sea Eagles.

COMBINATIONS

Halfback Jake Arthur and five-eighth Luke Brooks clicked as a halves pairing, both switching sides of the field and coming up with the right play at the right time. Around State of Origin time this combination should pay off for Manly when Cherry-Evans is on Maroons duty, while Ben Trbojevic, who struck up a great combination with Brooks and scored a hat-trick of tries, is pushing his case to replace Josh Schuster on the left edge if he’s not right in time to play Round 1 against Souths in Vegas on March 3.

Luke Brooks had three first-half try-assists in Manly’s trial win over South Sydney. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

RECRUIT WATCH

Plenty of people have been cheering for Brooks to get a change of scenery, and after 10 years at the Wests Tigers he gets the chance to see if they were right all along. The 29-year-old carved up the first half with three try-assists, and although it was against a team of rookies, his class was obvious and he was the best player on the field for the first 40 minutes.

This could be the kind of season he’s always hoped for. Meanwhile, train-and-trial forward Nathan Brown put his hand up for a spot in the Sea Eagles’ Round 1 side with a solid performance at lock.

ROOKIE WATCH

Rising gun Jamie Humphreys is a player of the future at Manly and he showed again on Sunday why. After making the switch from halfback to hooker, he’s beefed up in size with a plan to challenge Gordon Chan Kum Tong and Lachlan Croker at dummy half.

He was impressive around the ruck on Sunday, scoring two tries and kicking seven goals.

Jamie Humphreys. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Lehi Hopoate. Picture: Damian Shaw

HOT TAKE

It’s February and a ball hasn’t been kicked (officially) yet, but there are good signs for Manly’s culture after Sunday. Although they weren’t playing, the entire team showed up to support the boys on the field, including superstar Tom Trbojevic and skipper Cherry-Evans.

Good culture goes a long way to success, and if everyone stays fit, they’re a top-four side.

On the other hand, none of South Sydney’s star players were there to cheer on their rookie teammates. The difference between how the two clubs handled the trial was stark, and it showed on the scoreboard.

Manly coach Anthony Seibold was delighted to see his top-line players supporting the trial team on the Central Coast. “The thing I liked about us was just the connection. I think you saw all our non-players in Manly shirts sitting on the sideline watching their mates,” Seibold said.

“It wasn’t compulsory, it was optional today, so to see that was something that I’m really proud of.”

Ben Trbojevic grabs a hat-trick right on half-time. Humphreys converts

Sea Eagles 24
Rabbitohs 6#GoManlypic.twitter.com/AB1EUc5Rw9

— Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (@SeaEagles) February 11, 2024

FINAL SAY

South Sydney had only two top-30 players in the trial squad (Leon Te Hau and Taane Milne) so it wasn’t in any way a representation of their actual NRL squad, and almost no realistic chances of impressing to make the Round 1 team. Both Te Hau and Milne had a hard afternoon. However, Manly took the trial as seriously as they should by giving some of their genuine NRL stars and hopefuls an extra games heading into the season. Brooks will grab all the attention, but the likes of Nathan Brown, Ben Trbojevic, Ben Condon, Karl Lawton and Gordon Chan Kum Tong will benefit from the extra run. Winger Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega scored a double to press his claims to start on the wing this season.