Manly have begun conversations with the management of Jake and Tom Trbojevic about extending their respective careers on the Northern Beaches before they hit the open market on November 1.
The brothers are contracted until the end of 2026, but Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov has personally opened a dialogue with their manager to begin working on a deal to keep both as one-club players.
With the Sea Eagles still reeling from their messy break-up with skipper Daly Cherry-Evans, club powerbrokers have got on the front foot to avoid a repeat with their home-grown star duo.
Sources close to Tom who spoke on the condition of anonymity told this masthead the 28-year-old does not want to impact on the club’s future and would be willing to walk away from the Sea Eagles if an extension came at the cost of retaining other key players.
Young gun Lehi Hopoate, who recently extended his Manly deal until the end of 2027, is seen as the long-term successor to Tom at fullback having impressed in Tom’s absence due to injury.
A move to five-eighth for Tom was previously touted, but the arrival of Jamal Fogarty next season has placed a question mark over such a move given the Sea Eagles also have Luke Brooks on their books.
Tom Trbojevic with his brother Jake earlier in the year.Credit: NRL Photos
Tom is in no rush to make a decision on his future, nor does he want Manly to feel obliged to make him an offer as a mark of respect for what he has done for the club.
Trbojevic does not want to play against Manly and has told those close to him he would be open to a move to the Super League in 2027 if it was in the Sea Eagles’ best interest for him to leave the club.
Tom has previously shown his willingness to put the club above his own needs. This masthead reported last year that the NRL rejected a request from the Manly superstar to take a $750,000 pay cut in the salary cap over the next two years as a gesture of good faith.
The Sea Eagles fullback, who has been plagued by injuries over the past five years, applied to reduce his $1.15 million salary by almost a quarter after he was sidelined for two months following a hamstring injury last year.
Jake (left) and Tom Trbojevic (right) and Daly Cherry-Evans have been the faces of the Sea Eagles for the best part of a decade.Credit: Rhett Wyman
When Trbojevic is fit, he is still regarded as one of the best players in the competition and would demand in excess of $1 million a season on the open market.
However, his injury history will add to the complexity of negotiations as Manly weigh up what constitutes a fair and reasonable offer to keep Trbojevic at the club.
The Sea Eagles have also indicated they would be in a position to offer Jake a one-year extension. Both Tom and Jake are on back-ended deals. Jake is likely to have to take a pay cut of close to 50 per cent to remain at the club.
The Sea Eagles have indicated they will offer him around $500,000-$550,000 for a one-year extension. Jake has previously indicated he, too, would never play against Manly.
“It just wouldn’t happen,” Jake Trbojevic said about the prospect of playing against the Sea Eagles in the aftermath of Cherry-Evans’ decision to leave Manly.
“I couldn’t do it, personally. People do that, but no, I definitely couldn’t imagine it. You never say never. We never thought Glenn Stewart would leave the club, [even though] he got forced out. We never thought Cherry-Evans would leave the club.
“Right now, my answer would be no. I love this club; it means the world to me. I’ve been here since I was 14 in junior development.”
NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now
Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.
