Manly halfback Luke Brooks has issued a warning to his former housemate, James Tedesco, that the Sea Eagles have a strategy to contain him during their match on Saturday night. After waiting 4,040 days for his first NRL finals appearance, Brooks is eager to give his friend extra attention in hopes of helping his team secure a spot in the final four.
Brooks and Tedesco lived together in Hunter’s Hill for a year, along with Mitch Moses, and they have maintained their friendship since then. Tedesco moved out shortly after joining the Sydney Roosters, where he won premierships in his first two seasons. Meanwhile, Moses also experienced finals success in his first year away from the joint venture club and reached the grand final with the Eels in 2022.
However, Brooks remained with the Tigers, meaning he had never played in a finals match until joining Manly this season. Now, Tedesco and the Roosters are standing in the way of his goal to win a grand final, and Brooks emphasized that his team’s focus is on containing his former housemate.
“I probably don’t see it too much as facing a mate,” Brooks said on Thursday. “Maybe we’ll reflect on it afterward.
“From a tactical standpoint, he’s someone we need to stop. He’s been in excellent form and contributes significantly to their team. If we can limit his opportunities as much as possible, it will benefit us in winning the game.”
Shane Richardson takes swipe at ‘disloyal’ Tigers players
Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson congratulated Luke Brooks in a surprising statement following Manly’s 24-22 victory over Canterbury. Brooks, who left the Tigers after 205 games at the end of last season, was celebrated by the joint venture for his first NRL finals win.
“Wests Tigers wish to congratulate former halfback Luke Brooks on his achievements over the weekend with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles,” the statement began. While the sentiment was positive, it drew attention, especially with Richardson’s concluding remark that seemed to take a jab at other ‘disloyal’ players who had worn the Tigers jersey in the past.
“On behalf of everyone here at Wests Tigers, I want to congratulate Luke on achieving something he has wanted for a long time,” Richardson stated. “Luke spent more than a decade as a Wests Tigers player, so he will always be a part of this family. He showed loyalty when many didn’t.”
Brooks notably remained with the struggling Tigers when he was off-contract alongside stars like Moses, Tedesco, and Aaron Woods at the end of the 2017 season. While Moses left for Parramatta and Tedesco joined the Roosters, Woods signed with the Bulldogs before making a surprising mid-season move to Cronulla in 2018.
Despite being criticized by Tigers fans for not leading the team to the finals during his tenure, Brooks decided to leave the club at the end of last year. His choice to join another team was generally viewed positively, unlike the contentious departures of players like Tedesco and Moses. However, many in the NRL community felt that the joint venture’s message of congratulations to Brooks was not a good look.
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