Rookie Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks says coach Mick Potter "has been good" for his promising career, but refused to endorse him as coach for next season.
After their faint finals hopes were all but vanquished in Thursday night's loss to the Bulldogs, the club's focus will now returns to whether the board extend Potter's tenure at the club.
A month ago, captain Robbie Farah asked CEO Grant Mayer to be left out of discussions involving the impending future of their off-contract coach.
And Brooks, who will be the side's halfback for at least the next three seasons, also declined to have any input on the matter.
"I don't really want to get into coaching talk. I leave that up to the board. Either way, I'm looking forward to next year and finishing off these next two games in this season," he told NRL.com.
But the second-year pro did hope that the club took into account the side's horrific injury toll when deciding on Potter's future. The Tigers' bulging casualty ward hit an astonishing double figures after veteran Keith Galloway pulled out of last night's match with an injured shoulder.
Brooks also praised Potter for backing his ability in his rookie season.
"I think it's been like that the past couple of years with injuries. I guess that's up to the board. They've just got to decide what they're doing. I just leave that to the board," he said.
"He's been good for me, personally. He gives me confidence to play what I see and that's what you want as a halfback coming up. Even when you make errors, he says he's always going to back to me. That's what you want."
Last night's 30-10 shellacking extended the Tigers' losing streak to five, where they've conceded a mammoth 198 points.
But Brooks denied the constant hammerings would have long-term consequences on the club's plethora of young talent.
"I don't think it'll be that bad for us in the long run. I think it could be a good thing, being young, you're a bit more carefree," he said.
"You obviously don't want to lose, but you don't take losses as bad as some of the older boys. I guess it could be a good learning curve for us.
"It has obviously been a tough season. We've had our ups and downs, had some good wins and we had some pretty bad losses. I guess that's something that we'll work on, our consistency. It's something we'll have to learn. But we can take a few positives out of this year."
