Luke Brooks draws up “traditional” Tigers battle plan in bid to end finals drought

Luke Brooks has a master plan to get the Tigers firing again in their ongoing hunt for NRL finals — and it involves tradition, and a little dose of “deception” in the halves.

It’s no secret the Tigers have struggled to find their footing in the NRL in recent years. A slew of ninth-place — or thereabouts — finishes have haunted a club that previously shone for years in a row.

With a raft of stars heading out the door at the end of 2020, including electrifying on-loan hooker Harry Grant, who has been crowned heir-apparent to Cameron Smith in Melbourne, and veteran-head Benji Marshall, many are already chalking up another final-less season for the Wests outfit.

Luke Brooks, who again takes charge of the Tigers halves, has other plans.

The 26-year-old had a scintillating 2019, scooping the Dally M halfback of the year award, but he fell away a bit in 2020. Returning cult hero Marshall took the reigns, popping 17 try assists onto his record.

Brooks has to get back to his best if he wants to finally bring an end to the Tigers’ lengthy finals drought, and he knows it.

It’s just going to take a little “deception.”

No, not tricking the fans, or the media. No, Brooks is talking about out on the paddock. He and Michael Maguire have cooked up a new plan for how he’s going to attack the game — they’re going to wind back the clock, to a more “traditional” battle plan.

“The way we’re going to play is having that traditional halfback and not having it split left and right,” he explained to NRL.com after the Tigers rolled to a 52-18 win over Manly in their first preseason trial.

“I think that’s when I play my best footy. I’ve looked at deception stuff and playing around the ball… coming up with ways to trying to outsmart the defence.

“There’s a lot video in the game. Every game is switched on. You’ve got to find ways to score points.”

The Tigers looked slick as Luke Brooks guided them to a 52-18 win over Manly last week.

Brooks has a lot of hope for the Tigers’ 2021 campaign as well. They may have lost a number of their 2020 stars, but the offseason signings Madge has produced have bolstered stock “in a big way.”

Wests picked up a slate of new faces in the offseason. Joe Ofahengaue (Broncos), James Roberts (Rabbitohs), Tukimihia Simpkins (Cowboys), James Tamou (Panthers), and Stefano Utoikamanu (Eels) all joined the western outfit in a business-heavy trade period. Yes, they lost Grant, Marshall, Robert Jennings, Chris Lawrence, and more, but it’s a good haul overall.

Then there’s his own mental state; the Tigers playmaker says he’s “quietly confident” that he can get back to his best footy this year, and break out of the slump that dogged much of his 2020 season.

“I’m in a good spot [mentally] and I think that we can get to where we’d like to, and that’s playing finals footy and competing for the title,” he said.

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“We’ve bought really well with some big, experienced forwards, and someone like Stefano who will change the way we play around the middle. You look at someone like James Roberts when at his best is close to unstoppable. If we can get him to that spot, then we’ll be happy with that.”

As a 148-game player, Luke Brooks has become a veteran head for the Tigers.

Making finals will be a tough ask for the Tigers, though, especially when looking at the raw talent looking to deny them that elusive top eight spot.

A 34-point drubbing of the Sea Eagles last weekend was a pretty good place to start, however, especially if it’s injected a dose of confidence back into Brooks. The halves commander kicked five goals, and set up one of the team’s nine four-pointers.

The Tigers get their 2021 season underway next Sunday, March 14.

Wests will face their first challenge on the road, when they come up against a slick Canberra outfit at GIO Stadium. The clash has been inked in for 4pm, and will be live on Fox, Kayo, and free-to-air.