‘He’s going to get hammered for it’: Luke Brooks’ message to Dylan Brown as Eels star cops it for signing record deal

Dylan Brown and the Knights have been heavily criticised for his record deal, but the Eels star has received support from another playmaker.

Luke Brooks knows better than most what it’s like to have every single play scrutinised as one of the highest-paid players in the NRL, which is why he’s urged Dylan Brown to block out the outside noise and just focus on his own game after he signed the richest deal in competition history to join the Knights.

The Eels five-eighth will head to Newcastle next year on a 10-year deal worth an unprecedented $13m, with experts across all forms of media weighing in on whether the Knights have done the right thing.

“Dylan Brown is not the player I build a side around,” Fox League commentator Andrew Voss declared on SEN 1170 Breakfast, while others have said Brown is incapable of leading a team around the park.

“If I’m Newcastle, I’m not doing (the deal). He’s good but he’s not that good.

Everything Dylan Brown does now will be judged differently because of his mega deal. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“The imbalance of the salary cap with Kalyn Ponga there. I don’t know how that works.”

Brooks’ final contract with the Wests Tigers got mentioned after every loss, with people happy to put the blame on the playmaker given he was on massive coin.

One of the arguments has always been that you’re worth whatever someone is willing to pay you, and while Brooks concedes Brown will be under plenty of pressure over the next decade, he hopes he can block out the noise and do what he does best for his new club.

“It definitely does (put more pressure on him),” the Sea Eagles five-eighth said.

“There’ll be pressure from the outside, but as long as he doesn’t worry about that and just does his job for the team, I think that’s all he has to worry about.

“Because he’s getting paid so much, even if he does one thing wrong, he’s going to get hammered for it.

“But if he can just play some good footy and block out all the noise – which can be hard to do – then he’ll be right.”

Luke Brooks had to deal with intense scrutiny as one of the highest-paid players when he was at the Tigers. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

While Eels fans were desperate for Brown to activate one of his many clauses to stay at the club, Brooks says it’s impossible for anyone to criticise a player for agreeing to a deal that provides financial security for the rest of his career.

“It’s unheard of. That sort of money for him and where he’s at, it sets him up for life,” Brooks said.

“I know it’s not the be all and end all, but until it’s put in front of you, you don’t know how he feels. It would definitely be hard to say no (to that sort of money).

“I think anyone in his shoes would be doing the exact same thing.

“I wish him all the best, and hopefully for his sake, it pays off.”

Originally published as ‘He’s going to get hammered for it’: Luke Brooks’ message to Dylan Brown as Eels star cops it for signing record deal