Manly’s Luke Brooks receives hot reception from Wests Tigers fans

Wests Tigers supporters at the ground and online have relished Luke Brooks’ dismal return to Leichhardt Oval as a Sea Eagle.

Luke Brooks has received a hot reception on his long awaited return to Leichhardt Oval from fans at the ground and on social media as the Tigers stole an upset 34-26 win over Manly.

The 29-year-old Brooks was the main figure in the build-up to Thursday night’s clash between his new side Manly and the Wests Tigers.

Brooks spent 11 years at Leichhardt, making his NRL debut with the Tigers back in 2013 and playing 205 matches for a club that failed to reach the finals once in that long, barren period.

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Regularly linked with a move away from the club, the Leichhardt junior finally did after signing a four-year deal with the Sea Eagles in June last year.

Despite more than a decade of service at the battling joint venture club, most were expecting Brooks to cop plenty from the Leichhardt faithful in his first match back at the famous old ground as an opposition player.

That’s exactly what happened, with boos ringing around the ground as Brooks and Manly ran onto the ground, with only a tiny smattering of applause also heard.

Luke Brooks was widely booed as he ran onto his old ground. Photo: Fox Sports

Pre-game, Greg Alexander gave his thoughts on Brooks’ return to the Tigers’ spiritual home.

“I’m hoping Luke Brooks brains it tonight,” he said on Fox League. “I hope he has a great game, I really do.

“He had some great years at the Tigers, especially in the early days, but he also had some very tough years there too.

“He might not be the most popular player at Leichhardt Oval tonight, but I think he’s in for a massive game. His form’s been terrific.”

“I think he’s in for a big one.”

Speaking on Channel 9, Andrew Johns was also anticipating the type of reception the playmaker would receive.

Brooks with Benji Marshall ahead of his final match for the Tigers last year. (Photo by Izhar Khan/Getty Images)

“Luke Brooks will want to have a big game here,” Johns said.

“It’s funny, when he played here they booed him, so we’ll see what reaction he gets tonight.

“But he’s had a great season.”

Some felt fans giving Brooks a hard time would be grossly unfair, with The Daily Telegraph NRL reporter Dean Ritchie stating on Fox League “if they boo, they are kidding themselves”.

“He had 10 years putting his heart and soul into that joint, didn’t win a game, and stayed there when he could’ve bailed out years ago,” Ritchie added.

But that was a rare assessment as the fans gave it to Brooks upon his return.

Once the game kicked off, fans had to wait a good while to give Brooks more stick out on the field.

The five-eighth failed to touch the ball for almost five minutes as the Tigers enjoyed plenty of early possession.

Brooks has had a strong first season with the Sea Eagles. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Fans were keeping their eye squarely on the No. 6 Manly jumper, however, and when he finally gave an offload, Brooks heard it from the fans in orange and black.

The boos continued to rain down whenever he touched the ball, although the Sea Eagles took that in their stride and scored two tries in the opening 10 minutes to jump out to an early 10-0 lead.

There was some reaction to the booing on social media, with most poking fun at the approach from the home fans.

“Funny to see Luke Brooks booed at Leichhardt,” wrote journalist John Davidson on X. “He stayed with the Tigers for 11 years, went through all the s**te, while the likes of Tedesco, Moses, Woods left. He was loyal. Finally he departs and gets to play finals footy.”

“Why are the Tigers fans booing Luke Brooks whenever he touches the ball? Didn’t their fans want him out of the club,” another asked.

After Manly’s fast start, another fan asked cheekily: “Tigers fans — is it still Luke Brooks’ fault?”

The match looked like it could be heading towards a blow out early on, but the Tigers hit back and trailed just 16-12 at halftime.

Koroisau makes a break to score a try during the round 25 clash. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

And the fans got an opportunity to give Brooks a Bronx cheer when he coughed up possession near the break, with laughter breaking out around the ground.

“The crowd will enjoy that,” Warren Smith said on Fox League. “Having booed him with his early touches.”

He then capped off a quiet first half by kicking out on the full as the halftime siren rang out.

It didn’t get any better for Manly after the restart, with Alex Seyfarth opening the second-half scoring with a 46th minute try.

Brooks fell for a huge dummy as Seyfarth found the tryline, Api Koroisau’s conversion giving the Tigers the lead for the first time.

Haumole Olakau’atu was then sin-binned for a questionable high shot as the Tigers poured on two more tries to make it 30 straight points for the hosts as the upset loomed.

With Brooks and the Sea Eagles struggling, footy fans took the opportunity to stick the boot into the Manly five-eighth, many poking fun at his many struggles at the Leichhardt ground.

“Maybe the footy gods just hate Luke Brooks,” one wrote on X.

“This is the Luke Brooks that Wests Tigers fan know,” added another.

“Luke Brooks once again the worst player on the field at Leichhardt Oval,” wrote a third.

“Luke Brooks is such a s**t footballer. How does this guy get any plaudits?” offered another.

“Somehow Luke Brooks is still the worst on ground,” added a fifth.

It proved a dismal night for Brooks and the Sea Eagles, with the Tigers benefiting from a series of sinbins and grabbing a last-minute try in their second straight win, 34-26.

Originally published as Manly’s Luke Brooks receives hot reception from Wests Tigers fans