JOHNATHAN Thurston admits he feels sorry for promising Wests Tigers half Luke Brooks.

The greatest playmaker in the game believes not having a more experienced seven to learn under can impact a young player’s development but was full of praise for the cub when asked to name the young half who he believes has a bright future in the game.

When Thurston first burst onto the scene for the Bulldogs back in 2002 he was contending with Braith Anasta and Brent Sherwin for a place in the halves.

Not only did that provide Thurston with stiff competition for his preferred position but it meant he had two experienced players to learn the subtleties of the game from.

Round 19

It’s a luxury Brooks has not been afforded with the 21-year-old who debuted in 2013, the senior half in a young Tigers team with his co-pilot Mitchell Moses, 21, debuting the year after.

While Thurston ultimately left the Bulldogs in order to cement a starting spot in first grade, his three years in the top grade serving his apprenticeship under Sherwin and Anasta provided lessons which were invaluable.

Brent Sherwin played a key role in Johnathan Thurston’s early development. Source: News Limited

“Young Luke Brooks for the Tigers is still learning the game but an amazing talent and no doubt he’ll be a representative star of the future,” Thurston told foxsports.com.au.

“It’s tough when you’re at that age and you get thrown into it without having the leaders around you that play in that position and I think those boys (Brooks and Moses) are doing a great job without having that leadership around them.”

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In the past five years the Tigers have lost halves Robert Lui, Jacob Miller, Benji Marshall, Braith Anasta and Blake Austin.

While the bulk of those departures were out of the joint venture’s hands, the emergence of Brooks and Moses played a role in Austin’s move to Canberra.

The club backed the inexperienced duo to rise to the challenge, having dominated at the lower levels as they ascended to the NRL.

After starring in his NRL debut against the Dragons three years ago, Brooks drew comparisons from fans and experts alike to that of eighth Immortal Andrew Johns.

Branded ‘the next Joey’ by the media, Thurston believes that kind of pressure is something no kid needs, regardless of how good he is.

“It’s unfair pressure,” Thurston said of the lofty expectations placed on the youngster.

“It comes from what development officers and coaches say about them.

“What the media hypes up — I was lucky coming through, Braith was playing for Australia at the time and Brent Sherwin was at the height of his game.

Luke Brooks has been thrust straight into the spotlight. Source: News Corp Australia

“I was lucky to have those boys to learn off and that put me in good stead for my career.”

Having little choice but to embrace the pressure, Brooks believes 2016 will not only be a turning point for him and his halves partner but the team as a whole.

“At the start (of my career) I didn’t feel any pressure,” Brooks told foxsports.com.au.

“Once you start to lose a few games, you start to feel it a bit.

“I’ve played with Mitch, all my junior footy. We know each other’s game and we’re comfortable with each other.

“There’s a lot of players in the team I’ve played a lot of footy with and Mitch’s played a lot of footy, which makes it a lot easier.

“We’re starting to learn and deal with the pressure and hopefully we can gel together this year.”