The Wests Tigers circus took another tumble on Thursday with the club making an unsuccessful bid to sign veteran halfback Mitchell Pearce.
Pearce, 34, is playing for Catalans in Super League and was contacted by Tigers assistant coach Benji Marshall on Wednesday.
But in a text message to News Corp from France, Pearce said: “I don’t really have much to say. Benji called me yesterday and I told him I’m contracted to Catalans.
READ MORE: ‘Only one’: Star identified to replace Eels fullback
READ MORE: Icon befriended ‘strong boys’ to survive prison
READ MORE: Fagan fumes as AFLW icon banned from rooms
“We are top of the table and I want to win a comp in Super League. That’s pretty much it.”
The news comes as another dagger to the heart of embattled Tigers halfback Luke Brooks.
The Tigers are 0-4 to start the season, Brooks is struggling for form and copping it from fans and media – and now learns the club wants to sign a veteran to take his place.
If Brooks’ confidence was low on Wednesday, it is now under ground.
To add to his woes, the Tigers face the prospect of another flogging from the in-form Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp this weekend.
The only thing in Brooks’ favour is that head coach Tim Sheens retains confidence in the polarising halfback.
Sheens has declared since the pre-season that Brooks still has what it takes and has stuck by the local junior throughout the early rounds despite his patchy form.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
The Mole’s Team of the Week: Superstar’s ‘stunning’ return; silver lining in Tigers’ ‘lacklustre’ loss
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
