Incoming Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens has reportedly made a dash to England for the Rugby League World Cup to scout potential options in the halves.
The Tigers, who finished with the wooden spoon at the end of the 2022 season and haven't played finals football in more than a decade, are set to move into the final year of Luke Brooks' existing contract at the end of 2023.
Brooks now holds the unwanted record as the most-capped NRL player without a single finals appearance, with all of those games coming during the Tigers' lean spell of form.
Sheens, in his role as director of football during 2022, repeatedly came to the defence of Brooks as he struggled in Michael Maguire's side.
It came as reports swirled around his imminent exit to the Newcastle Knights time and time again, with Sheens eventually stating that Brooks wouldn't be going anywhere until the end of 2023.
The Knights, who themselves are short in the halves department, and are again for 2023 despite the signing of Tyson Gamble from the Brisbane Broncos and Anthony Milford gets set to head to the Dolphins in their inaugural season, have reportedly been in discussions with Brooks for well over 12 months.
While it's unclear if Brooks ever did ask for a release thanks to Sheens' comments on multiple occasions, The Daily Telegraph is reporting Sheens' trip to England for the World Cup is more than just a holiday, with Brooks' exit to the Knights for 2023 to be announced "any day."
That may come as something of a surprise though given the Tigers themselves just months ago admitted they had already opened discussions with Brooks about a potential extension beyond the end of 2023 ahead of the November 1 deadline for players to negotiate with other clubs for 2024.
The Tigers have also lost Jock Madden this off-season without a replacement at this stage, leaving Brooks, Adam Doueihi and Jackson Hastings as the options to play in the halves.
