Manly fans are daring to dream after high profile signing Luke Brooks starred in the club's thumping pre-season trial win against South Sydney on Sunday. Brooks - often maligned across the course of his NRL career with the Wests - marked his first proper hit out for his new club with an impressive showing as the Sea Eagles thrashed a young and inexperienced Rabbitohs side 68-6 in Gosford. Brooks set up three tries in the first 40 minutes before being given an early mark his Manly winning 24-6 at halftime against a Bunnies side made up of mostly reserve grade players. The Sea Eagles and their fans will certainly have to temper their excitement after the huge win, with the South Sydney side they'll face in next month's NRL season opener in Las Vegas set to look nothing like the one they thrashed on Sunday. Nevertheless, it was a promising start to life at Manly for Brooks, who will have dreams of playing finals footy with the Sea Eagles in 2024, having never done so in 11 seasons at the Tigers. The crafty playmaker will be relishing the chance to combine with Maroons halfback and Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans - one of numerous big-name stars rested from the clash.The 29-year-old Brooks showed he's already got a good understanding with his new teammates and combined well with the likes of man-of-the-match Ben Trbojevic, who crossed for a first half hat-trick. Young gun Jamie Humphreys also impressed with two tries and could be pushing for a bench utility spot at Manly in 2024, but it was the performance of his new halves star that left Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold particularly happy.
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