Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens has confirmed an approach to veteran halfback Mitchell Pearce, but denies it would have meant Luke Brooks leaving the club.
Pearce, who turns 34 next week, was sent a message by Tigers assistant coach Benji Marshall to gauge his interest in joining the team his father, Wayne, is a legend of.
The experienced playmaker won a premiership with the Roosters in 2013 before joining the Knights for four seasons between 2018 and 2021. He left the NRL to join Super League club Catalans at the end of that season.
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With more than 300 NRL games as well as 19 State of Origins to his name, Pearce was viewed as a player who could help the embattled Concord club break a decade-long finals drought.
But his response to Marshall’s text was emphatic.
“The conversation was had, he’s not interested, he’s on contract. That’s it,” Sheens told media on Thursday.
“To be quite honest guys, I’d prefer not to say anything at all about it, because I’d prefer to talk about the game this week.
“It’s obvious we’ve been chasing now for a while a senior half of some sort.”
To many, those words might seem ominous for incumbent halfback Brooks, who is earning $1.1 million from the Tigers this year to be their main man.
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While he was – unfairly – compared to Immortal halfback Andrew Johns early in his career, Brooks has fallen drastically short of expectations and has never played an NRL finals game, let alone any representative football.
His contract expires at the end of October and the club’s approach to Pearce – as well as recent offers to Mitchell Moses and Cameron Munster – spells trouble for his future in the competition.
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But Sheens denied the recruitment attempts have anything to do with Brooks.
“I’m not going to be picking the (future) team around anyone, because we haven’t got anyone at this stage,” he said.
“Whether it’s to play five-eighth or seven, is yet to be decided. I’ll let you know when we know something.
“From my aspect, we don’t stop recruiting in the middle of a year. We’ve just moved a couple of players too. It’s an ongoing thing all the time.”
Sheens also denied Marshall made the approach to Pearce without the head coach’s consent.
“We don’t do anything without telling each other,” he said.
The Tigers are winless through four rounds of the NRL season.
They next take on the Broncos on Saturday night.
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