The Manly Sea Eagles have confirmed Luke Brooks, Jaxson Paulo and Tommy Talau will all join the club from the start of 2024, while Tolutau Koula has also been re-signed.
In a move that locks down four roster spots long-term for the Sea Eagles, Brooks will join the second club of his career after an 11-year stint at the Wests Tigers, signing a four-year deal that keeps him on the Northern Beaches until at least the end of 2027.
Koula has also signed until at least the end of 2027 on a three-year extension, ending any chance of the youngster moving to rugby union, while Paulo has signed until 2026 on a three-year deal, and Talau joins on a two-year deal until at least the end of 2025.
Brooks, a constant topic of conversation during his long stint at the Tigers, told the club last month he wouldn't be continuing into a 12th season at Concord.
Manly coach Anthony Seibold said he was looking forward to having Brooks' experience at the club.
โLuke is a quality half-back, a former Dally M Medallist, and brings over 200 games of experience to our club,'' said Manly Coach Anthony Seibold.
โHe has got a fantastic left foot kicking game and is a really good runner of the football.
โWe feel as though he will add to the spine players we have already got at our club.โ
The confirmation of Brooks' signing likely means the experiment of Josh Schuster in the halves is over, with the youngster to move back to the second-row, while Brooks will join Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves.
Meanwhile, Paulo and Talau both will add to the depth of the outside backs at the club.
โJaxson brings over 50 games of NRL experience with him. He has been in really good systems at the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Sydney Roosters," Seibold said.
โHis best year was in 2021 where he appeared in the NRL Grand Final. The thing I liked about him that year was just the consistency in his performance.
โHe has started the year really strongly for the Roosters and we feel as though his best football is in front of him.
โTommy is someone I've watched closely for a number of years. He made his debut as an 18-year-old at the Tigers but he has been hampered a little bit by missing the full 2022 season.
โI think he has shown this year his aggression. He is a powerful player but he also shows great skill.
โWhat Jaxson and Tommy add to us is competition for spots because we are trying to build consistent performances as a team.
โWe want competition for spots and they add to the quality that we have already got in our outside backs.โ
The re-signing of Koula may be the best news for the Sea Eagles though.
The youngster had been heavily linked with a code swap or a move elsewhere in the NRL. Able to play fullback, wing, or centre, he has the potential to develop into one of the best players in the game, becoming a permanent part of Manly's first-grade side before his 20th birthday.
โTolu has been a real find for our club over the last 18 months," Seibold added.
โHe has come through here as a junior, playing in our Harold Matthews and SG Ball teams.
โTolu has further improved as a player this season and we feel that he has got great potential.
โWith Tolu now signed on for another couple of years, we are really looking forward to seeing him play his best football.โ
