Brooks mentally fresh before long-awaited finals debut
Luke Brooks admits he never realised how much being a punching bag at Wests Tigers ate away at him before his move to Manly this year.
Brooks will end a 4040-day wait to play in an NRL finals match on Sunday, when he runs out for the Sea Eagles against Canterbury at Accor Stadium.
It will mark the end of the longest wait for a maiden finals appearance in NRL history, with 29-year-old Brooks having played 229 games since his debut in August 2013.
The Dally M halfback of the year in 2018, Brooks’ decision to knock back a Tigers contract last year and move to Manly was born out of a desire for a fresh start.
He has thrived on the field with less responsibility and more freedom to run, playing his best football of 2024 in recent months.
But the Manly No.6 says he never realised how much of a toll being one of the most scrutinised players in the NRL at the Tigers took on him before arriving at Manly.
“I feel heaps different. I probably didn’t notice it when I was there, how much it really weighed on me,” Brooks said.
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