‘A lot of the pressure is off me’: Luke Brooks happy to be out of the spotlight at Manly

Luke Brooks expects the Wests Tigers faithful to boo him when he rocks up to Leichhardt Oval in a Sea Eagles jersey, but that’ll be worth it if the veteran halfback can end 11 seasons of heartbreak by playing finals footy with his new club.

The 28-year-old squeezed all the juice out of his Tigers career, with Brooks ending the rollercoaster relationship by signing a four-year deal with the Sea Eagles after his former club imposed a deadline on him to recommit.

The move is one that simply had to happen for a man who was once tipped to be the next Andrew Johns but played 205 games at the Tigers and never got to experience the finals.

“It’s a new change and a new environment so I think it’ll get the best out of me. I’m just looking forward to coming here and playing alongside some quality players,” Brooks said ahead of his first training session in Narrabeen.

“You get comfortable when you’ve been somewhere for so long. You need a bit of a change to get me out of my comfort zone, so I think this will be the best for me.

“I’m still only 28 so I still think I’ve got the best footy in front of me. I think this side will bring the best out of me.

“Coming here, a lot of the pressure is off me so I can just focus on footy. I think I’m playing my best footy when I’m enjoying it, so that’s what I think will happen here.”

Brooks wants nothing but the best for his former club, revealing incoming Tigers coach Benji Marshall gave him his blessing to do what he felt was right for his career, which in the end meant leaving Concord.

He became an easy target at the Tigers, but Brooks is eager to step away from the spotlight at a club brimming with superstars like Tom Trbojevic, Daly Cherry Evans, Haumole Ola’kauatu and Tolu Koula.

“He (Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold) talked about taking a back seat because I copped it a lot over there. I’m looking forward to laying low here,” the playmaker said.

“There’s so much strike. That’s one of the big reasons why I decided to come here was to play with those quality players. It’s very exciting for me to have a lot of speed and big bodies that will definitely help my game.

“I bring a good running game and I think that’ll suit their side. Hopefully, they bring the best out of me and I can bring the best out of them as well.”

Brooks won’t be burdened by having the No.7 on his back next year, with Cherry-Evans to lead the side, which will allow Brooks to play his natural game.

It’ll be a few weeks until the pair can link up, with the Sea Eagles skipper taking some time off following the Pacific Championships.

That will allow Brooks to spend the majority of his time working with Josh Schuster, who is set to start the season on the left edge after form, fitness and injuries limited him to just 15 matches last year.

“He’s looking good,” Brooks said.

“He’s a quality player and a different back-rower because he can ball play really well. I look forward to playing alongside him because he’s one of the most skilful players in the game, so I want to bring the best out of him.

“He’s got the talent so I’m really looking forward to playing alongside him. What he does with the ball is so skilful, so that will open up opportunities for me.

“We want to build on that combo because we’re going to play a lot of footy together, so I’ve got to do my best to bring his best out, and I’m sure he’ll do the same for me.”