Manly have moved quickly to shut down suggestions Tom Trbojevic will shift from fullback to the centres in a bid to lighten the workload on his suspect hamstrings.
A relaxed Trbojevic fronted the media on Tuesday after returning from the US, where he worked with reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles.
Philadelphia-based Knowles is the world-renowned specialist who breathed new life into South Sydney superstar Latrell Mitchell last year, and also spent a fortnight fine-tuning Melbourne’s Ryan Papenhuyzen for the Storm fullback’s return to the NRL this year.
Trbojevic spent the bulk of his time working on his running technique and learning tips on how to change direction at pace, having often broken down when doing so.
Not only will Trbojevic be 100 per cent ready for Manly’s round-one clash against Canterbury, both player and coach Anthony Seibold confirmed the 26-year-old would be roaming the park in the No.1 jersey as usual.
“I don’t see too much merit in [playing centre], everyone throws it out there, and I understand the thought process behind it, but I enjoy playing fullback, and it’s where I play my best footy,” Trbojevic said.
Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic with coach Anthony Seibold on Tuesday.Credit:James Alcock
Seibold added: “People will say there’s a bigger workload [at fullback], but the workload has nothing to do with Tom’s hamstring history. It’s the running mechanics. Regardless of whether he played centre, fullback or any other position, it won’t have an impact on his injury history, so that shuts down that [debate].”
Trbojevic said he had felt mentally flat before Christmas following his latest hamstring injury, which sidelined him for two months. The training mishap followed an injury-plagued 2022 season, in which he played just seven NRL games.
“A lot of fans would ask you, ‘How’s the hammy, Tom?’ or ‘Will you be right for round one?’ And while it’s not a bad thing – and they’re not coming from a bad place – it does weigh on your [mind],” Trbojevic said.
The only time Trbojevic was recognised in America was when an Australian uploaded video footage of him banging the drum as a guest at a Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey game.
He said he had crossed paths with Super Bowl-bound Australian Jordan Mailata and met Papenhuyzen at the start of his trip, and appreciated the knowledge and quirky humour Knowles possessed.
Despite having worked with Knowles for two hours a day across 10 days, Trbojevic struggled to explain his biggest takeaways from the sessions.
“Being a more sustainable athlete is one of the big goals,” Trbojevic said. “Hopefully it will be a good back end to the career.”
Seibold viewed the US trip as a huge moment in what is essentially the halfway point in Trbojevic’s career.
“I feel as though Tommy knows where he wants to take his career and own it,” Seibold said. “I think him getting over there was fantastic for him, and I’m sure it will reignite that second part of his career.”
The Sea Eagles success will largely be guided by how long Trbojevic can avoid the casualty ward. They missed the finals in 2020 and 2022 – two seasons in which he only played seven games – but made the preliminary final in 2021 when Trbojevic won the Dally M on the back of just 15 regular-season matches.
Seibold plans to put more responsibility on the shoulders of the pin-up, and noted how he had relished the seniority during the first six weeks of pre-season training while his older brother Jake and captain Daly Cherry-Evans were on World Cup leave.
