Watched on by family, friends and former team-mates, including Mitchell Moses and Josh Reynolds, Brooks was at his attacking best; running 213 metres with the ball and laying on two tries as Wests Tigers romped to their third win in four weeks.
The win was the first in the history of Wests Tigers or the 1908 foundation clubs who formed the joint venture in 2000, Balmain or Western Suburbs, in which they had scored 66 points.
The 48-point margin was also the heaviest defeat by a Cowboys team since North Queensland joined the premiership in 1995.