Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks is excited to be shifting into the five-eighth role ahead of the annual Easter Monday clash against the Parramatta Eels.
Head Coach Michael Maguire was forced into making changes with Jackson Hastings returning to the starting side after serving his three-week suspension for a dangerous throw.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon, Brooks said that his new role would allow him to focus on his running game, which he sees as one of his biggest assets.
“For me, it’ll get me running the ball a bit more. I’ll let Jacko play that first receiver, traditional halfback role and I’ll play off the back of him”.
“I think I play my best footy when I’m running the ball and I feel like I haven’t really done that too much over the past few weeks”.
Front-row forward Zane Musgrove is excited to see what the new-look starting lineup can achieve, stating that the changes have stimulated the playing group ahead of Monday’s match.
Musgrove had an impactful performance against the Sharks on Sunday afternoon, running for 85 metres and racking up 19 tackles in just 33 minutes of gametime.
“There’s been a clear focus on everyone nailing their role and putting in that effort when we need it”
“We know that whatever happens in the future, those guys (who have missed out) will be back in the side and they’ll work hard to get back in”.
Luke Garner agrees with Musgrove, believing that when everyone plays their role, this side can compete with the top teams in the league.
While he acknowledged that the club’s start to the year has not been ideal, he believes that there’s still plenty of time to turn things around.
We’ve got plenty of depth in our squad and I’m confident that everyone who goes into our team will do the job for us and perform this weekend
Luke Garner
“When looking at the bigger picture, we’re only five games in and there’s still twenty-odd games to go”
Garner is looking forward to the challenge of shutting down the potent Parramatta Eels attack and said that the game plan is simple for shutting down fullback Clint Gutherson.
Garner backs Wests Tigers team depth
“You’ve just got to tackle him, that’s the only way to go about it. He’s just another player, so that’s what we’re going to do to him.”
