The usual suspects at the Wests Tigers have been busily launching a ticker-tape parade about the club’s new much-vaunted $78 million Center of Excellence in Concord.
Parading around like they’ve won the grand finale – can someone please tell them the Wests Tigers are in 16th position on the NRL ladder and now firm favorites to collect the club’s first-ever wooden spoon.
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There’s also been an early loose carry in the new digs hailed as the best rugby league training facility in the world with the organization dropping the ball when it comes to club legend and premiership-winner Benji Marshall’s playing career.
In a spiel about Marshall’s playing feats at the Wests Tigers, the club has somehow managed to stuff up who he won a premiership with.
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For the record, the incoming Wests Tigers head coach in 2025 won a premiership with the Wests Tigers in 2005.
The flick pass to Pat Richards, anyone? It was also the club’s one and only premiership.
Instead, in the initial fit out of the new Center of Excellence – the Wests Tigers Marshall bio states he won a premiership with the Dragons.
Whoops. Benji Marshall did not win a premiership with the Dragons. Photo: NRL Roast TwitterSource: Twitter
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confused? Don’t worry, so were we.
The Wests Tigers have since confirmed the error and are in the process of getting it fixed.
Like Jack Gibson always said, winning starts Monday and winning starts in the front office.
Matty nails Buzz impersonation | 00:51
Anyway, they’ve also got a barber shop at the new Center of Excellence so at the very least the Tigers playing squad can sport fresh fades and the organization staff will look sharp.
In all seriousness the Center of Excellence is a great result for the club as a training facility and will no doubt help them on the training and recruitment front.
And once they fix up the Marshall faux pas then hopefully the only way is up.
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The Wests Tigers have made an inquiry with Wigan about the prospect of bringing 2019 Dally M Backrower of the Year John Bateman back to the NRL in 2023.
In a move unrelated to Isaiah Papali’i having second thoughts about switching from Parramatta to Concord next year, Tigers director of football Tim Sheens has confirmed the club has made the approach.
The catch is going to be Bateman is under contract with Wigan until at least the end of 2024 and for now the Warriors have blocked the Tigers move.
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Bateman was one of the standout backrowers in the NRL the year the Canberra Raiders made the grand finale in 2019 before his tenure in the national capital sourced over a contract stalemate with the Green Machine.
Bateman then returned home to the UK at the end of the 2020 NRL season after inking a four-year deal with Wigan through until the end of 2024.
The Raiders were forced to pay a $250,000 transfer fee to Bradford to bring Bateman to the NRL the first time around but the one bonus with transfer fees to English clubs is they aren’t included in the NRL clubs salary cap.
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The Tigers have made a play for former Raiders star John Bateman.Source: Getty Images
The Bateman approach is creative thinking from Sheens trying to look outside the square and devise recruitment ploys aimed at overhauling the Wests Tigers roster.
The Tigers have made some recruitment moves this week by re-signing Brent Naden, Asu Kepoa and Starford To’a but the real recruitment space where they need to get busy is the re-signing of Adam Doueihi.
Doueihi is easily the Tigers best player, a local junior and the type of leader the Wests Tigers need to build the club around.
With Sheens and Benji Marshall now having control of the steering wheel at least it won’t be left to dithering management types to make another misguided mistake.
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‘He gets angry at some weird things’ | 01:13
The issue with Doueihi is he’s going to be a free agent as of November 1 and you can guarantee rival clubs are going to be getting the queue to try and convince the five-eighth to switch allegiances.
The Tigers need to sharpen their pencil and try and get a long-term deal done now prior to the stronger clubs being able to table a deal.
The Melbourne Storm have already had one crack at getting Doueihi on loan for the remainder of this year and with uncertainty surrounding the future of Cameron Munster the Tigers five-eighth would make an ideal replacement.
Eels star Isaiah Papali’i’s push for a backflip from his $1.9 million Tigers deal has taken a fresh twist with reports he is also angling for a return to the Warriors.
Papali’i raised concerns about his Tigers deal after they sacked Michael Maguire, while the Eels have upped their offer in a bid to retain his services, but a potential return to the Warriors is the latest development in his contract saga.
“Isaiah Papali’i signed a contract with Michael Maguire at the helm at the Tigers and now with Madge not there he is certainly not committing to it,” Braith Anasta said on NRL 360.
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“There is speculation about whether he will go or stay. I have not been convincing.”
Paul Kent believes the link to a return to the Warriors is a sign Papali’i is trying to make sure he does not end up at the Tigers at all costs.
“He hasn’t been convincing,” Kent said.
“Not only has he floated earlier in the year that he wants to stay at Parramatta, but it has also come out now that he is looking at a return to the Warriors, which is interesting.”
However, The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio believes the links to the Warriors deny the reason he wanted to backflip on the Tigers in the first place.
“That won’t eventuate because the Warriors are the only club that provides wriggle room for Papali’i to get out of the contract because it is the only feasible reason he could use, which is for personal reasons because his girlfriend still lives in New Zealand,” Riccio said.
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Isaiah Papali’I wants to get out of his deal with the Tigers.Source: Getty Images
“That’s not the reason he wants to leave the Tigers. The reason he wants to leave the Tigers is because he wants to stay at Parramatta.
“His angst isn’t with . . . it is not about going home to the Warriors and New Zealand. It is about staying at Parramatta.”
However, Kent believes if the Warriors were able to meet his financial demands, then he could also return to the Warriors for family reasons and leave both the Eels and the Tigers in the lurch.
“That is true but if the Warriors now do come in with a late offer?” Kent questioned.
“Or is it about not going to the Tigers?”
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Isaiah Papali’I wants to stay at the Eels.Source: News Corp Australia
Paul Crawley believes Papali’i can only blame himself for signing with the Tigers, who have a history of sacking coaches.
“If he has any angst it should be with himself and his management,” Crawley said.
“I have signed with the Tigers. I have signed with a club that changes coaches almost annually.
“He took the big money on offer. Yes Michael Maguire was the coach, but the Tigers have gone through four coaches in the last 10 years. It shouldn’t come as any great surprise.
“The Tigers have got to hold their ground on this.”
However, Paul Kent and Braith Anasta pointed out that sometimes the coach is the main reason for players signing with clubs.
“Players sign with coaches,” Kent said.
“My take on this is different because when I first heard this I thought, I have not got to honor his contract,” Anasta said.
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“Then I had to think about it myself and I was in a very similar situation.
“It was the Tigers, but it could have been any club, where I signed at that club and Tim Sheens was the coach.
“He signed me for a specific reason. He wanted a certain something out of me in terms of leadership and direction with a few players there and he made the sell to me.
“He was the coach and the Australian coach and I wanted to play under Tim Sheens. That was the only reason I signed. The sole reason I signed.
“Then he got sacked a few weeks later. I honored the contract, but now I look back at it and I think it was a poor decision from me.
“If I had my time over it would have been in the best interests of me and the club not to go there because it wasn’t the right fit.
“I was taking hit ups off taps, which is one thing, but what I’m trying to say is if he doesn’t want to go there and he only went there because a coach wanted him for a specific role to play his part in that team.
“Sometimes motivation is solely because of the coach.
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“But if he has got the Warriors involved that is taking the piss because that to me is him just saying, I don’t want to go to the Tigers.”
Kent believes the Tigers are being hypocritical of Papali’i breaking his contract when they broke Michael Maguire’s in sacking him.
“The flip side for the Tigers is when they signed him (Papali’i), they had Michael Maguire as their contracted coach,” Kent said.
“They are happy to sack Maguire and break that contract, which then breaks the terms or understanding that was there with Papali’i.”
Regardless, Kent believes Papali’i’s inability to commit fully to the Tigers means the club needs to act fast to ensure their own best interests.
“Even yesterday when he spoke and he was very noncommittal and at one point he said, look I’ll just wait until November and sort it out then,” Kent said.
Wests Tigers opt not to take legal action | 00:47
“Now the Tigers have got every right to say hang on, you have got to figure out what is going on.
“They have got a salary cap to manage. They can’t sit there and wait for this guy until November.”
Riccio believes the Tigers are better off cutting their losses with Papali’i because he clearly isn’t committed to the club’s new vision for the future under Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall.
“That’s why the Tigers should move on now and use Papali’i’s money before it gets too late,” Riccio said.
“If they wait until November they won’t be able to use their money.
“The Tigers are at a critical point in their history. This is a turning point for the Wests Tigers club under Tim Sheens and the future under Benji Marshall.
“What do we stand for? What is our culture? Who do we want here? That’s all I’ve heard about what it is going to be like under Sheens and Marshall. We want players who want to represent the Wests Tigers and who want to be there.
“Have we heard Isaiah Papali’i say once, I cannot wait to get to the Wests Tigers?”
Former Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire has warned Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah about the “challenge” of coaching, with the pair set to begin their new roles next season.
The Tigers confirmed last month that legends Marshall and Farah would return to the club as assistant coaches next season, under famous coach Tim Sheens.
Former Kiwi Test star Marshall will then take over from Sheens in the top job for three seasons from 2025.
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Premiership winning coach Maguire is “looking forward” to seeing the famous duo reunite at the club where they both rose to fame, as they look to turn the Tigers around.
But speaking on The Back Page, ‘Madge’ also made sure to caution them about how difficult their new jobs can be.
“There’s many ways to do it so I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out,” Maguire said on The Back Page.
“Coaching is about spending time and actually coaching. They’ve got a few rookies that are going to come through and it is going to be a great challenge for the guys that are coming through in Benji and Robbie.
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“I think they’re qualified because of the experiences they’ve had but coaching is not just about what happens there. It is life, it’s about the player and looking after the quality of each individual.
“It’s going to be a really good challenge for them.”
Wests started the season with five consecutive losses before record back-to-back wins over premiership contenders Parramatta and South Sydney.
But the veteran coach of 233 NRL games was later sacked as the club continued their underwhelming form, winning just one from their next five.
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The Tigers were on another noteworthy losing run before their controversial loss to the Cowboys in Round 19, before bouncing back with an emphatic win over Brisbane last week.
Reflecting on his time at the club, Maguire said that his three-and-a-half-year tenure was a “great challenge.”
“I’m really fond of my time there, even though we didn’t get to where we wanted to get to and everyone wants to win a comp,” he said.
“But what I have learned over time and being in and around various clubs, is that we’re all working for the same thing but they’re so different.
“The makings of the club, where the club fits with their juniors to the recruiting to what goes on in the background, they’re all so different and that’s what us coaches enjoy, being able to bring that together to create the success.”
Maguire coached the World No. 1 Kiwis to a convincing 20-point win over Tonga in Auckland earlier this year, with rugby league returning to New Zealand.
With the World Cup just around the corner, the 48-year-old said that he’s focused on his role with New Zealand, but revealed that he wants to win another NRL premiership.
“I’ve taken a bit of a backwards step I guess. I’m just focused on the Kiwis and I’ve enjoyed that part because you don’t have the heat of the week-in, week-out. But I do miss that.
“That’s something that has always fueled myself, the challenge of each week. I’m starting to learn what it’s like to have the weekend and your family there because you’re so used to having to rise each week.
“I’m just sort of eyes wide open at the moment. I do love it [coaching] and I want to win another comp. To be in that arena is another desire.”
The divide in the Newcastle dressing room has been simmering for the past few months with Knights coach Adam O’Brien telling the playing group after a recent loss: “I know what you blokes are saying about me. I’m going nowhere.”
The point blank message from O’Brien can be revealed as the Knights go into damage control in the wake of the coach’s loose carry press conference last Sunday.
O’Brien fronted the media again on Tuesday to try and walk things back off the cliff but by that stage the cracks in the Newcastle dressing room had been prized wide open.
The David Klemmer situation has only driven a further wedge into the struggling club which has only managed five wins out of 19 games this year.
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The Knights started this season full of optimism after back-to-back wins over the Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers before going on a run of seven losses leading into Magic Round.
It’s been slim pickings since with Newcastle now having the worst defensive record in the NRL having leaked 522 points at an average of 27.47 points per game along with currently having the worst differential in the competition of minus 238 points.
There’s no question O’Brien’s penchant for a blow-up is wearing thin with elements of the Newcastle playing group.
The problem for O’Brien is in 2022 it’s so much easier to get rid of a head coach than it is to completely try and turn over a roster.
The old saying goes you’ve never really been a head coach until you’ve lost four games in a row and the heat is on – which is exactly where O’Brien finds himself now.
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David Klemmer’s future at Newcastle is clouded. NRL PHOTOSSource: The Daily Telegraph
The Knights are adamant O’Brien will remain as the head coach next season but the biggest immediate challenge the Newcastle coach faces is getting the playing group all back on the same page.
New Director of Football Peter Parr has arrived at Newcastle and could only be shaking his head at the bun fight he’s walked into.
O’Brien is signed with Newcastle until the end of 2024 which if the Knights stay the course would mean he’s had a five-year tenure at the club.
After the events of the past week it’s now become blatantly clear the Knights coach needs a fast start to next season to ensure his own job security.
Let’s call the Klemmer play from Newcastle for what it is – the Knights are clearly trying to free up some money to try and go in a different direction next season.
Klemmer is on $800,000-plus which would give Newcastle some serious money to go to the open market with.
Plenty of ex-players are happy to tell you middle forwards often protest against being dragged from the field.
Newcastle have clearly identified they no longer want the ex-NSW and Australian prop at the Knights and so have started the process of steering him towards another club.
Adam O’Brien has come under scrutiny this week. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
ROOSTERS MOVE TO LOCK UP WALKER
The Sydney Roosters are set to launch a multi-million dollar play aimed at keeping young gun halfback Sam Walker at the Tricolours long-term.
Walker, 20, will be a free agent for rival clubs to approach as of November 1 but like all the good clubs the Roosters will try and make sure they strike a deal well beforehand.
The other rookie who has everyone talking at the Chooks is emerging superstar Joseph Suaalii. The Roosters clearly value his contribution to the team at the point where champion frontrower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has been bringing him into leading the club’s team song over the past fortnight.
Jared has long been the Roosters leader in charge of leading the team song. Even after the Roosters were disappointed with their round 20 win over Manly, JWH still insisted on Suaalii riding shot gun with him leading the celebrations.
Nofoaluma vows to honor Tigers deal | 01:16
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DRAGONS CHASE ROOSTERS HOOKER
THE Gold Coast Titans aren’t the only club having a crack at signing Sydney Roosters hooker Sam Verrills.
The St George Illawarra Dragons are also making a play for the premiership-winning no.9.
Where it gets interesting is the Dragons have had a tough conversation with current hooker Andrew McCullough.
McCullough, 32, still has a year to run on his contract next season but the Red V are clearly exploring going in a different direction.
McCullough is one of the ex-Broncos clique of Dragons players who enjoys a close rapport with Red V coach Anthony Griffin.
The hooker, Dragons captain Ben Hunt and Josh Maguire all played in an under 20s grand finale with the Broncos in 2008 when Griffin was the coach.
‘This is what gives me the s****!’ | 02:04
FARAH GETS HANDS ON IN TIGERS FRONT OFFICE
The Wests Tigers putting the band back together with Tim Sheens, Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah is a smart play from the struggling club.
What’s equally as smart is Farah’s new contract stipulating that he’s also set to learn the ropes in terms of front office administration with the club.
The Tigers have long been laughed at by rival clubs about the way the club has been run.
Getting a figurehead like Farah who has bled for the club more hands-on in this department makes a lot of sense.
SOUTHS MOVE TO KEEP LATRELL, CODY AT REDFERN
We told you last week how South Sydney had a delicate $6 million balancing act on their hands around the re-signings of superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell and five-eighth star Cody Walker.
We were told there was a big chance the two key position players would wait until after November 1 to re-commit to South Sydney.
The Rabbitohs have swiftly moved to try and nip the scenario in the bud by meeting with the star duo earlier this week.
Both Latrell and Cody are off-contract at the end of next season but with talks progressing positively there’s every chance they can soon re-commit to the Bunnies.
It will be a huge coup for the red and green club and also for CEO Blake Solly.
Wests Tigers winger Ken Maumalo has revealed a chat with cousin Nelson Asofa-Solomona almost convinced him to head to the Storm on loan for the rest of the season, but in the end, his young family kept him in Sydney.
Maumalo and teammate Daine Laurie were reportedly some of the players the Storm chased before the August 1 deadline as they looked to bolster their outside backs after long-term injuries to Ryan Papenhuyzen, Reimis Smith and George Jennings.
And while Wests Tigers winger David Nofoaluma did make the move south, his teammates stayed put.
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David Nofoaluma has settled right in with teammates Brandon Smith and Xavier Coates. Picture: Tony GoughSource: News Corp Australia
“They’re looking for some players at the moment, but I just said that I’ve got a family and it’s too much of a move for me,” Maumalo said.
“’Nofa’ is the perfect person to go over because he’s got no family, no kids, so it’s better for him.
“I got my cousin who called me from Melbourne – Nelson – and he said that Craig (Storm coach Craig Bellamy) mentioned my name to him.
“He said I should keep it on the backburner and just see where things are at. I said if things go well and to plan, then why not, but it was too much of a move.”
Maumalo said the lure of playing football finals and potentially winning a premiership was tempting, but he couldn’t turn his back on the Tigers who are looking to bring back the glory days under Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall.
“It’s a good opportunity to go over and be in a good system and a system that has been good for a number of years now,” he said.
“That was the exciting part of it, but I’m doing this for my family, myself and my teammates here. I’m trying to build this club up again to where it was back in 2005.”
Tigers fullback Daine Laurie was also linked with a move to Melbourne, but the youngster says that may not have been entirely true.
Daine Laurie denies he was ever linked to the Storm. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“I didn’t know anything about it. I only saw it in the media,” he said.
“I saw it on Instagram and I was kind of confused about it because I hadn’t heard anything off my manager.
“I would’ve been shy as if I’d gone down there. If that opportunity had come, then I probably would’ve wanted to stay here anyway.”
Maumalo’s focus remains on helping the Tigers finish strongly in 2022, but he does have one eye on the World Cup at the end of the year.
The 28-year-old has represented both New Zealand and Samoa, but says he’s ready to commit to the Kiwis.
Ken Maumalo is hoping for more of this in the UK. Picture: AAP Image/David RowlandSource: AAP
New Zealand has lost a number of players, including Jason Taumalolo, to second-tier nations over the past few years, but Maumalo says the team is getting back to its best as they look to dethrone the Kangaroos at the World Cup.
“The Kiwis jersey sort of lost itself around 2016-17 when those players were jumping ship to play for Tonga and Samoa,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to debut in 2018 to help build that jersey with the number of players that were there.
“The jersey is in a good spot now where it should have been for the past couple of years, and now I’m keen to push that jersey and keep building on that jersey.
“There’s so much depth now in the Kiwis squad, so no matter who turns to Tonga or Samoa, we’ve still got a big roster with a number of good Kiwis playing across the NRL and the UK.”
Incoming Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens has confirmed he wants halfback Luke Brooks to remain at the club next season and beyond on a reduced contract.
The Daily Telegraph reported Sheens wants Brooks to see out the remainder of his contract which expires at the end of 2023, before signing an extension on a reduced salary.
Speculation is rife that the Tigers were keen to move Brooks on given his salary is worth a reported $1.3 million on their salary cap for 2023.
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Brooks reportedly twice sought a release from the remainder of his contract last season to move to the Knights, despite denials from the No.7.
The 27-year-old, who is currently injured, has scored 42 tries in 189 games for the Tigers since his debut in 2013, but has never tasted finals football during a tough period for the club, who have the longest finals drought in the NRL stretching back to 2011.
Brooks has been linked to the Dolphins and the Knights for 2023, but Sheens, who will take over the team for 2023 and 2024, wants him to stay, but on a reduced deal.
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Tim Sheens wants Luke Brooks to stay.Source: Supplied
“Obviously everyone would prefer it to be at less money,” Sheens told The Daily Telegraph.
“But we can sit down and negotiate with him and extend the contract out.”
Sheens categorically denied the club were looking to move Brooks on to free up salary cap space for 2023.
“On the record, he’s contracted,” Sheens said.
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Luke Brooks and Benji Marshall.Source: AAP
“Point blank. He is contracted to us and I expect him to turn up for pre-season training.”
Jock Madden starred in Brooks’ absence in a win over the Broncos in Round 20, but remains unsigned beyond 2022, while the club also has Adam Doueihi and Jackson Hastings on their books for next season.
Sheens and incoming assistant Benji Marshall have publicly thrown their support behind the embattled playmaker, but the former refused to guarantee Brooks would finish his career at the Tigers.
Tigers shock Broncos in Brisbane | 02:27
“Unless the world changes, that’s what I’m doing (trying to get Brooks to stay),” Sheens said.
“Can I ever (guarantee he’ll stay)? Not one can. But I’m not indicating he’s leaving.
“I like the kid and I want him in the side. Benji loves him and wants him in the side. But we can’t say any more than that.”
Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis also threw his support behind Brooks.
“A guarantee is not a word that I use comfortably in my capacity as chairman or as a lawyer, but Luke Brooks has a contract with the Wests Tigers for 2023,” Hagipantelis told Fox Sports News.
“Tim Sheens spoke publicly in the last 24 hours of his intentions to retain him. We are all big fans of Luke.
“He is a one club player. I would love to see him finish out his career at the Wests Tigers.
“Are there challenges there for both parties? Perhaps. Both have identified those.
“But the reality is he is a truly gifted footballer and I would love to see him perform at his best for the Wests Tigers.”
Hagipantelis clarified that there would be no pay cut for Brooks’ existing contract and it would be up to the club and the player to meet in the middle over a contract extension.
“There will be no pay cut concerned with his current contractual arrangements,” Hagipantelis said.
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“He will be paid in full. We will honor that. I think Tim was alluding to the end of the current contractual arrangements.
“Those are matters for the club and the player to negotiate what they think is a fair market value.
“It is always up in the air. There is an underlying tension of course. Players want to receive as much as they can, which is understandable and clubs want to pay as little as they can, which is of course just as understandable.
“At the moment those discussions have not been held. There is a long way to go.
“Tim Sheens, Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah are assimilating themselves into the roster at the moment. They will decide moving forward.
Is O’Brien under pressure at Knights? | 05:59
“Unfortunately the injuries to Luke and Jackson Hastings have thrown a little spanner into the works because I know the boys were very keen to see the combinations work for the balance of this year. But they will work it out.”
However, like Sheens, Hagipantelis left the door ajar for Brooks to potentially move on in the future if it suited both him and the club.
“Never say never because every option would be considered on its merits at the time,” Hagipantelis said when asked if he would consider an offer from another club for Brooks’ services.
“But as we speak at this very moment there is nothing on the table. There is no consideration. There is nothing before me or the board to suggest Luke Brooks will not fulfill his contractual obligations with the Wests Tigers and nothing would make me happier.”
