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Scott Bailey

Tigers to make multi-year offer to keep Luke Brooks

Luke Brooks (pic) is set to be offered a new contract, according to Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens. (Mark Evans/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Wests Tigers officials will meet with Luke Brooks' management next week to table an offer to keep the off-contract halfback at the NRL club long-term.

Brooks will play his 200th game for the Tigers on Saturday against North Queensland, having endured a more on-field scrutiny than any other player in the past decade.

Once one of the Tigers' big four Tim Sheens wanted to build the club around, Brooks is the only remaining member from 10 years ago after the exits of James Tedesco, Mitch Moses and Aaron Woods.

There had been suggestions in recent months Brooks could be the next to leave, with him off contract and the Tigers pursuing other playmakers.

But that won't happen if Sheens has his way.

The Tigers coach declared on Friday he did not want the 27-year-old going anywhere, and that the joint-venture would make a multi-year offer for Brooks to stay at the club.

"Will he be here in 2024? Yeah," Sheens said.

"As far as I am concerned, he will be. We will definitely be making an offer.

"It just comes down to how much that offer is and what other people are thinking and what he is thinking.

"We will be doing a bit of work with our players who are off contract over the next week and a half during the bye."

The Tigers' decision to retain Brooks comes despite critics regularly claiming both the playmaker and the club could do with a fresh start after 11 years out of the finals.

But Sheens said he cared little for those suggestions and is insistent the halfback's best football is still ahead of him.

"I have always had my eye on keeping Brooksy," Sheens said.

"I don't care what external people have said, most people don't have a clue. I'm not worried about those things.

"I am keen to keep him happy and keep him here. And if we can keep him happy, that's what I want."

Brooks had said earlier this week his priority was finishing his career at the Tigers, indicating he would take up an offer from the club.

He was also open to playing alongside Shaun Johnson in the halves if the club lured the Kiwi to Concord from the Warriors, but that is now appearing increasingly unlikely.

The Tigers must also decide whether to release last year's club player-of-the-year Joe Ofahengaue.

The forward looked set to join Parramatta this week after completing a medical at the Eels, before the Tigers pushed to hang onto him for at least one more week.

"It is not a done deal," Sheens said.

"They were hoping to get him this weekend. It's not happening ... We'll decide on that next week."

Meanwhile the Tigers have become the latest club to poach from rugby for the NRLW, signing former Wallaroo Pauline Piliae-Rasabale for this season.

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