He is coming off arguably the best and most consistent season of his career, but Manly’s Luke Brooks could be on the move.

Watch every game of the 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership Finals Series before the Grand Final LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.

The 31-year-old has been linked with a surprise departure from Manly, who is said to not be opposed to letting Brooks leave the club next year should he find a long-term deal elsewhere.

That is according to CODE Sports reporter Michael Carayannis, who reported on NRL 360 that Brooks’ potential departure would help the Sea Eagles address their “out of whack” salary cap.

Manly could do with an upgrade at hooker and overhaul of its forward pack, with the club linked to Raiders rake Tom Starling this week.

Carayannis said for the time being any Manly move for Starling is off the table because the Northern Beaches club simply does not have the salary cap space to accommodate him.

An early release for Brooks could help make it happen, or it could otherwise allow the Sea Eagles to bolster a forward pack that ranks among the most top-heavy in the league.

As Carayannis clarified, any potential early exit for Brooks would say nothing about how Manly feels about the player itself.

Sure, there is the question of how Brooks looks returning from his ACL injury and when exactly he will get back on the field.

But Brooks looked “outstanding” as Carayannis put it before going down with the season-ending injury, with new Sea Eagles coach Kieran Foran getting the most out of the much-maligned playmaker.

“It’s about their cap management,” Carayannis added.

“They’ve got Jamal Fogarty and Joey Walsh in the halves. Joey is obviously going to be a long-term player there. They’ve got Ontoni Large to come through as well.

“It’s not about Luke. It’s about trying to get that cap right because they’ve got an imbalance. Their forward pack is lacking.”

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

Talagi future under the microscope | 02:11

The Sea Eagles also have to find a spot in their first-choice backline for exciting, versatile youngster Clayton Faulalo, who extended with the club for a further two seasons in June.

Faulalo impressed filling in for the injured Tom Trbojevic at fullback before also flashing his potential at five-eighth when Joey Walsh missed a few games late in the year with a jaw injury.

There is no guarantee Brooks will be moved as it will require a rival club agreeing to take on a chunk of the $650,000 Carayannis said he is on next season.

“If he was fit for round one he’s not banished (at Manly). He’s still got a role to play,” Carayannis added.

But that is a relatively affordable price tag given the form Brooks was in pre-ACL, even if you factor in the risks associated with his return from injury.

Plus, for any teams with question marks in the halves there aren’t many alternatives on the open market for next year.

Cody Walker and Jamie Humphreys are the only real options, and yet both seem likely to re-sign with South Sydney.

So, there could be a genuine market for Brooks if the Sea Eagles do in fact decide to explore their options.

Where exactly could Brooks land?

MORE NRL NEWS

TALKING POINTS: Blunder Warriors must not repeat; ‘bollocks’ DCE lie exposed

CRAWLS: Nicho’s bizarre claim just made me choke. It’s time for a reality check

Brooks could be on the move. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Well, let’s start by ruling out the clubs which — as it stands — won’t have a starting job for Brooks next year and hence would need a pre-season injury to have any interest.

That includes the Panthers, Warriors, Roosters, Sharks, Knights, Storm, Raiders, Eels, Titans and Dragons.

Sure, the Roosters will have to replace Daly Cherry-Evans but that is what they have Hugo Savala for while Toby Rodwell is also highly-rated and looked solid in his few NRL hit-outs this year.

The Panthers also have their own question marks at five-eighth but with Blaize Talagi and Jack Cogger already on the books and Jett Cleary set to join, they have more than enough options and would prioritise using any spare money to re-sign their November 1 stars.

That leaves five clubs who theoretically could make sense for Brooks — and yes, one of them is an unlikely homecoming to the Wests Tigers.

Luai no-show deepens Tigers rift | 01:46

TIGERS

Wouldn’t this be quite the turn of events. Maybe there would be too much personal baggage here, both for Brooks and Tigers fans, to make it work. But there is a level of uncertainty surrounding the Tigers’ halves picture to at least make it worth a mention. Adam Doueihi was one of the club’s best players earlier in the season before he sensationally ruled himself out of the must-win game against Canberra. He seems to have patched things up with coach Benji Marshall, but there is no guarantee he is locked in as the top option at halfback. The same goes for Jock Madden, who is a more traditional halfback but had a few poor defensive moments to cast questions on his standing in the NRL team. Latu Fainu is undoubtedly the future, but the question is who partners him. Brooks thrived with more of a run-first mentality last year at Manly, so the fit may not be right at the Tigers next to Fainu who can do a bit of both but would benefit from having a more steady hand next to him. At this stage it seems unlikely the Tigers would take Brooks back because they have plenty of options, including Javon Andrews, but if the price is right maybe it’s worth the gamble for what would be the ultimate NRL fairytale and redemption arc if it paid off.

Benji Marshall says farewell to Luke Brooks. (Photo by Izhar Khan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

PERTH

This one probably makes the most sense, but would obviously be a big move for Brooks and his family. But from an on-field perspective, the Bears could do with a more established five-eighth to pair alongside Toby Sexton. As it stands, Penrith’s Jack Cole would likely slot in there and he has impressed recently for the Panthers. Cole has all the fundamentals to be a regular first-grader and his contact in defence has always been a strength of his. Cole’s ball-playing has started to develop in the latter stages of his Penrith career, but would be a question mark playing in a Bears team that is a shadow of the juggernaut that is the Panthers. Other options for the Bears include Apa Twidle, Tyran Wishart and Niwhai Puru, none of which have the experience or runs on the board that Brooks does. Mal Meninga did previously come out and say the Bears were not in a position to be able to afford AJ Brimson when news emerged that he was available, but he is said to be on around $950,000 per year so Brooks would come cheaper.

“Absolutely!” Phins Premiership chances | 02:09

BRONCOS

Sure, the Broncos have plenty of halves already on the books for next year. But is there any certainty they are the answer? Ezra Mam’s big-money contract continues to be a talking point. Jonah Pezet didn’t live up to expectations at the Eels. Tom Duffy showed glimpses in the NRL this year but also bounced in and out of first grade. Maybe with Adam Reynolds retiring Duffy will get more of an extended run and prove himself to be the halfback of the future. For now the Broncos are locked into Mam at five-eighth because with the money he is on they have to find a way to get him playing to his full potential at a consistent basis. Now, a Brooks-Mam combination has question marks of its own given Brooks looked much more comfortable last year playing in a run-first role similar to that of Mam. So maybe the fit would be too awkward to make it work. There has been talk of whether the Broncos could offload Mam to a rival club. If that happened, it would make Brooks all the more appealing.

RABBITOHS

This one largely hinges on what happens with Cody Walker and Jamie Humphreys. By all reports the Rabbitohs are likely to extend both, which would all but rule out a move for Brooks given the Bunnies also have Ashton Ward and Jayden Sullivan contracted. Ward, once healthy, should be locked in as the long-term halfback with Walker as his halves partner. But for whatever reason if the Rabbitohs found themselves scrambling for an alternative, Brooks makes plenty of sense. Wayne Bennett deeply cares about his players. For someone like Brooks who is a confidence player, Bennett would be the perfect mentor. He would also be a handy complement next to Ward, who has a strong long-range kicking game and hardly looked overawed for his age before going down with a hamstring injury.

BULLDOGS

Even if the Bulldogs continue to persist with Lachlan Galvin at halfback, in theory that wouldn’t rule them out of getting Brooks as his halves partner. The issue is that both Brooks and Galvin look the most dangerous when they are running the footy, as was the case with Galvin and Matt Burton. Essentially, that means the Bulldogs may as well stick with what they’ve got and move Burton back to five-eighth after he switched with Stephen Crichton late in the season. But given the Bulldogs seem happy to be patient with letting Galvin develop at halfback, that means we shouldn’t rule them out of being a potential landing spot for Brooks either. There is space for both Burton and Crichton to play in the centres too with Bronson Xerri off to Melbourne. Sean O’Sullivan is set to join St Helens, so you can rule out him lining up in the halves and while Mitch Woods and Alex Conti could be the long-term answer there is no guarantee there.