State of Origin 2020: Tom Trbojevic out of NSW Blues squad
It’s official: Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic has withdrawn from the NSW Blues squad after his latest battle with injury. So who does Brad Fittler turn to? There are four, possibly five, candidates. VOTE NOW!
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Manly champion Tom Trbojevic has been struggling with his shoulder rehabilitation and has made the shock decision to withdraw from the NSW side for this year’s State of Origin series.
And his exit is set to trigger a frenzied battle for the vacant centre spot.
NSWRL confirmed the final decision had been made on Trbojevic, with coach Brad Fittler to add players to the extended squad every Sunday as teams are eliminated from the finals race.
“We appreciate the effort by Tom and the Manly Sea Eagles to try to get him ready for Origin,” Fittler said.
“It must have been a difficult but selfless decision for Tom to put the team first ahead of his desire to play in the series next month.”
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The news comes after NSW coach Brad Fittler defended his decision to take the injured Manly superstar into the 2020 NSW Origin bubble, saying: “I don’t feel neglectful at all”.
With Trbojevic is ruled out, Canberra’s Jarrod Croker, Penrith’s Stephen Crichton, South Sydney’s Campbell Graham and Cronulla’s Jesse Ramien become immediate candidates.
News Corp Australia has been told St George Illawarra centre Zac Lomax – originally overlooked for a spot in the extended Blues squad – has been placed on standby.
With Brisbane centre Kotoni Staggs ruled out with an ACL injury, Lomax would appear to be the slight favourite.
Trbojevic, still just 23, hurt his shoulder in Manly’s round 19 match against Gold Coast – his comeback game from a long-term hamstring injury.
It was originally thought Trbojevic’s recovery would be three to four weeks and that he would be ready for Origin.
Although Manly had not placed any pressure on Trbojevic to withdraw from the NSW side, it is fair to say Sea Eagles officials were privately hoping their $1 million-a-season superstar wouldn’t put his body through the vigours of three State of Origin over three successive weeks.
By withdrawing, Trbojevic can focus on a full off-season recovery and have his body at peak fitness for round one next season.
He would have played just one game — 50 minutes to be exact — in 20 weeks going into Origin I at Adelaide on November 4.
With Trbojevic now officially withdrawn, NSW coach Brad Fittler and Blues adviser Greg Alexander can focus on identifying a new right centre to tackle Queensland.
Croker has enjoyed a wonderfully successful career yet – at age 30 – is still waiting for an Origin debut.
Graham has roared into contention through hugely impressive season with South Sydney while Penrith’s Crichton is a superstar on the rise.
Crichton may though be a year away from NSW representation. Ramien would be an outsider while Lomax also has support for a spot in what is expected to be an extended 27-man squad.
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Trbojevic went down with a hamstring injury in round six this year and many believe Manly’s chances went down with him.
Just last week, Manly legend Max Krilich said: “Manly pay him a huge amount of money and I think he has to put his loyalties to the club first. He has to worry about getting ready for next year and not worry about State of Origin.
“He earns his livelihood through manly – not through NSW. It’s as simple as that. He has to out his priorities first and those priorities should be with Manly.”
Over the past three seasons, Manly have won just eight of their 28 games without Trbojevic. With Trbojevic playing, the Sea Eagles won 21 of their 41 games.
Originally published as State of Origin 2020: Tom Trbojevic out of NSW Blues squad