Tom Trbojevic has declared he will return to the field for week one of the finals with the assistance of painkilling injections in the AC joint in his right shoulder.
The Manly ace also made the startling admission he has been getting painkilling jabs in his left AC joint before every game this season.
Trbojevic admitted he was sore on Saturday morning. Scan results are expected to confirm a grade-three tear.
“But if it was a grand final next week, I’d be playing,” Trbojevic told this masthead. “Needles won’t be a problem. They’re not nice when you get them, but they feel good afterwards.
“I get one every game now for my left AC joint. They are a lot more common than you think.
“When the AC is sore, you needle them and they are sweet. You don’t notice it during the game.
“I didn’t really know what it was on Friday night when I went down. I never felt a pop, but the trainer came out and said it was pretty bad.
“I’m not too worried because I know I’ll be back. It’s one week. I’ll be fine. I couldn’t have been prouder of the boys. We needed to bounce back after the loss to the Tigers the week before, and it was good we did just that.”
Tom Trbojevic leaves the field on Friday night, but the gun No.1 has vowed to be back for the finals.Credit: Getty
Trbojevic went down in the 64th minute against Canterbury when he stopped forward Jacob Preston and Sea Eagles teammate Luke Brooks accidentally slammed into his back.
Brooks felt awful when watching the replay on the big screen inside Accor Stadium, saying: “You obviously think the worst. I felt bad. I looked up at the screen [inside the ground] and thought, ‘Is that me?’ Hopefully, he’s all right.”
Trbojevic was cut above the left eye in the same incident, but later passed a head injury assessment. He looked in good spirits in the sheds after the game as he celebrated his 150th NRL match with family and friends.
He also suffered a cork to his shin when stopping Viliame Kikau from scoring early in the second half, but was able to shake it off and play on.
Trbojevic’s brother Jake praised Tom for being the most resilient man he knew, saying: “Everyone over the Spit Bridge will be crossing their fingers [he is OK].”
Tom Trbojevic has a long history of serious injuries.Credit: NRL Photos
Manly produced one of their best performances of the season against the Bulldogs, and a win against Cronulla next Sunday at a packed 4 Pines Park will pave the way for them to host an elimination final the following week.
Tolu Koula and Lehi Hopoate are two suitable fullback options for Trbojevic, with the former expected to wear the No.1.
The news is not so good for winger Jason Saab, who is expected to miss at least the next few weeks with a high ankle sprain. He was the victim of a hip-drop tackle, with Dogs centre Bronson Xerri facing a one-match ban for the incident.
Brooks was placed on report for a dangerous tackle on Preston, but escaped a charge from the match review committee.
“I feel like I picked him up, then stopped, and he [Preston] ducked his head,” Brooks said after the 34-22 win.
“I don’t think it was that bad. I ended up lifting him, but pulled out, and I feel like he ducked his head as well.”
As for playing at least one week without Trbojevic, Brooks said: “You see what he can do with the footy; he’s a freak. Any time we don’t have him we lose a lot.
“The positive thing is we have two young fullbacks who can play there. Lehi has played a lot of footy there, and so has Tolu. I know it’s disappointing, but these young blokes, whoever gets picked, they will step up.
“Lehi has scored that many tries [nine in 11 games], he’s a great finisher. He reminds me a lot of his brother Will. I remember when he first came in, he played on the wing for Manly, and he’s doing the same things.”
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