Aged 17, Brooks swam 51.91s in Perth in January 1980, breaking Tonelli's Australian record in the 100m freestyle. As a result, he was invited to his first national training camp under Bill Sweetenham for prospective Olympic swimmers. He had the first of his many clashes with sporting administrators, first claiming that the officials did not want him to board with Tonelli's family and then stating that Sweetenham had only coached him two or three times, which he felt was insufficient. Brooks walked out of the camp and returned to Perth to train under Duff.[3] At the Australian Championships, the 100m was seen as a clash between Tonelli and Brooks. The latter came second in the 100m freestyle, outsprinted in the dying stages by Tonelli,[3] who reclaimed his national record in a time of 51.80s.[4] As a result, Brooks was selected in both the individual event and the 4×100m medley relay.[3]