Luke Brooks is set to join Manly for 2024, with the club confirming a four-year deal for the Wests Tigers halfback as part of a signing blitz that sees them grab Jaxson Paulo from the Roosters, Tommy Talau from the Tigers and give a three-year extension to Rugby Australia target Tolutau Koula.
Paulo arrives on a four-year deal after being squeezed out of the Roosters by the arrival of Newcastle winger Dom Young and the extension of Daniel Tupou, while Talau gets a two-year contract to switch from Wests.
Koula’s extension begins at the end of next season, meaning he is secured on the Northern Beaches until 2027, putting to bed any speculation that he will swap codes.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones had identified Koula, a former standout schoolboy rugby union player at Newington College, as one of his prime targets from the NRL ranks, but he is now off the market beyond the 2025 Lions Tour and likely the 2027 World Cup.
The move for Brooks ends one of the NRL’s longest-running sagas, with the Tigers finally set to lose their flagship local junior after over 200 games at the club.
The signing represents a coup for Manly, who will get to play Brooks alongside their talisman Daly Cherry-Evans for the final two years of his career, as part of a stellar spine along with Tom Trbojevic and Lachlan Croker.
“Luke is a quality half-back, a former Dally M halfback of the year, and brings over 200 games of experience to our club,’’ said coach Anthony Seibold.
“He has got a fantastic left foot kicking game and is a really good runner of the football. We feel as though he will add to the spine players we have already got at our club.
It will likely end the experiment of playing Josh Schuster at five eighth, however, with the Samoan international likely to return to his previous position in the back-row, if he extends at the club.
There had been much talk that Schuster would go the other way to Brooks and join the Tigers on a big money deal, but it was reported yesterday in the Sydney Morning Herald that incoming coach Benji Marshall had turned down the move.
Manly and the Tigers have been busy in the market together of late. Tommy Talau is set to swap Concord for Brookvale in the coming days as the Sea Eagles look to use some of the spare salary cap they incurred from Trbojevic’s injury on NSW duty to bolster their outside backs.
Youngster Latu Fainu – and potentially brother Samuela, who has been in and out of first grade this year – are expected to go in the opposite direction as the Tigers look to the future.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Nicho Hynes was in the u20s.. Luke Medcalf was also in minor grades then let go after only a couple of years back. Their retention of young up and comers is pathetic
Dutski
Roar Guru
I wish Paulo well at Manly but I’m not sad that he’s leaving the Roosters
Badseed
Roar Rookie
Fozz only wants to play at Manly he goes to rubbish clubs to pay his gambling debts. Sharks need a new 5/8 for next season don’t they?
MB088
Roar Rookie
I agree with the Croft/Brooks comparison. It seems a bit ominous to me. THrow in the Paulo buy and losing Fainu and its very head scratching. Esp with losing 2 juniors for Woods
Jackson Rogers
Roar Rookie
Tigers win win win flogging brookes to manly
eagleye47
Roar Rookie
It's because we don't have enough drama at the moment. After the idiotic attention we generated last year, Manly Management and Penn need something to top 2022 and show that Manly have an abundance of pride in their club
NorthNarra
Roar Rookie
Gutho, JWH, Foz (sob), Hiku, Des (sob), so much dumbness to celebrate.
Iron Fist
Roar Rookie
Well done Benji sticking solid to his decision not to recruit Schuster, despite the strong push for Josh from recruitment. There's no doubt he can be a good footballer, but he's not a consistent one. The Tigers have more than enough of those. They need many more players of Bateman's ilk for balance - effort, grinding, one-percenter players who will do all the stuff that isn't flashy but win you football games.
Adam
Roar Guru
Not even remotely comparable. I'm sure Siebold didn't have to bring in his own lawn chairs!
Nat
Roar Guru
Good luck to Brooks, hopefully it's the change he needs. However, it does feel a little like a Siebold/Croft move. 4 years for Paulo? The guy can't get past Corey Allan for a start at the chooks. He would want to be value (cheap) to offer 4 years.
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
Look at Manly getting signings done and the Tigers going backward... If only we could find some correlation between these two things... I mean, outside Scott Fulton leaving Manly and joining the Tigers...
Nambawan
Roar Rookie
Losing Latu Failu looks like an extremely dumb short sighted decision. From what I have observed of him this season he is a naturally gifted talent. Has a strong physique, good speed and ball skills. Predict this move will rank for Manly with the Gutherson debacle.
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Manly must be close to pulling Schuster's contact extension offer ?
andrew
Roar Rookie
Hope Schuster doesn't end up at Saints, we don't need another player who can't or won't tackle.
ScouseinOz
Roar Rookie
I think Brooks on around 1/24th of the salary cap and playing outside DCE is a good signing for Manly. I think they will compliment each other pretty well. I'm still not convinced by Seibold tho. He just reminds me of a couple of old teaching colleagues that struggled in management roles and then did the same job in different colleges every few years after dressing up their "achievements" on their latest CV and interviewing/spinning the past well in the next place each time. This probably says more about me than Anthony Siebold!!
Dumbo
Roar Rookie
Fitz has already got one in Hazleton and another in Colquhoun. His trouble is that he is too scared to tell any of his high-paid, low-performing players that they are being dropped to NSW Cup until they lift their game. Having said that, if Fitz could engineer a swap of Radley for any two of Rudolf, Hunt, Kaufusi or Finucan (paying some freight, so the Roosters aren't out of pocket) then he could improve both clubs' squads.
Phil
Roar Rookie
Shame is right. He's the best front on defender in the game, bar none.
Muzz Manyana
Roar Rookie
Brooks Schuster halves pairing when DCE is unavailable :shocked:
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Given where his strengths and weaknesses are it’s certainly not a wild notion to think he could look good outside DCE.
Muzz Manyana
Roar Rookie
Turpin tackles like the axe. His service from dummy half is reliable. I'd take him over the Cheese in a heart beat.