Luke Brooks will make more than $1MILLION at Wests in 2023 – and the staggering figure makes it incredibly hard for the Tigers to shift the struggling halfback
Luke Brooks’ salary makes it increasingly difficult he will leave the Wests Tigers, despite suggestions he still wants out of the club.
The halfback twice asked to be released in the offseason in order to join the Knights, but eventually stayed put.
Brooks is under contract with the Tigers until the end of the 2023 season and his wages could dissuade any suitors.
Luke Brooks will make over $1million next season, according to the Sydney Morning Herald
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the halfback’s wages have risen incrementally since he signed his current deal and the Tigers have allocated him just under $1.1million in salary cap for next season.
Even should the Tigers agree to release Brooks, his salary may price out any teams interested in signing him.
Earlier this month, reports the 27-year-old had grown unhappy with his circumstances at the club resurfaced again, prompting New South Wales legend Laurie Daley to suggest the club and the players should part ways.
Brooks twice asked to be released by the Wests Tigers during the offseason
The halfback eventually stayed put but his future at the club remains in doubt
Brooks is under contract with the Tigers through to the end of the 2023 season
‘That worries me if he [Brooks] is not happy there,’ Daley said on The Big Sports Breakfast.
‘If that’s the case, you’ve got to make some changes. If he’s not happy, and he’s not out there.
‘And the playing group, if they know that, and if you’re not getting performances that are up to scratch by Luke Brooks, you’re better off letting him go.’
Earlier this week, Maguire conceded Brooks had gone through ‘some tough times’ and had begun to question himself.
Wests’ coach Michael Maguire insisted Brooks remains fully committed to the Tigers
Asked whether the halfback could ask to be released again, he told Fox League: ‘I always say to a player, you do the talking on the field. Your career and those sorts of things always sort themselves out.
‘He has just got to keep committed to his training and keep playing the way he is. And look for areas of his game that he can improve every day, which I know he does every single day he trains.’
Meanwhile, the Tigers have dismissed a report from The Daily Telegraph suggesting Brooks and coach Michael Maguire could shipped to Canterbury in exchange for premiership-winning coach Shane Flanagan and his halfback son Kyle.
The Tigers have got off to a dismal start to the season and are the only winless side left in the NRL after losing each of their first four games.
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