Luke Brooks is set to retain his place in the Wests Tigers first grade line-up despite reports last week suggesting he would be dropped.
Speaking on Nine’s 100% Footy, Sydney Morning Herald reporter Michael Chammas said that rumours of the much-maligned No.7 being sent to NSW Cup were off the mark.
“There was talk with Luke Brooks last week that he was going to get dropped for this game against the Warriors in New Zealand, but it turns out Brett Kimmorley’s going to play Luke Brooks in the halves alongside Jackson Hastings,” he said.
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“He won’t be dropped.”
Chammas also said that Kimmorley would likely look to blood debutants in other positions, as he tries to make his case to get the coaching gig on a permanent basis.
“The Tigers haven’t improved on the field under Brett Kimmorley, but I think the club are pretty impressed with what he’s doing off the field, and how he’s influenced the club there, and the methodology that he’s brought to the club.
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“He’s got an opportunity, like Michael Potter, to impress with what he’s got.
“So far, off the field, things are going well for the Tigers – but they need to start getting results and they’ve got to show improvement on the field if Brett Kimmorley is to make the most of this audition that he’s got at the moment.”
The Tigers struck out with their first-choice in Cameron Ciraldo, and remain on the lookout for a new coach for 2023.
If not Kimmorley, names such as John Morris, Shane Flanagan, and Kristian Woolf have been tossed up – but the search has hardly begun, given how focused they were on Ciraldo.
“They put all their eggs in that basket,” Chammas said.
“They went all-in, five-year deal, it didn’t work out for them and now they’re back to the drawing board.”
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