NRL 2022: Tom Trbojevic calls meeting with manager after Manly Sea Eagles sack Des Hasler
Frustrated Manly star Tom Trbojevic has called an emergency meeting with his agent in the wake of the shock sacking of coach Des Hasler.
NRL
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Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic has scheduled an emergency meeting with his agent in the wake of the sudden departure of coach Des Hasler.
Trobjevic will have a Zoom meeting with his meeting Paul Sutton on Friday as he becomes increasingly agitated at the situation unfolding at the Sea Eagles. While it is highly unlikely the fullback will want out of the club there is naturally a growing angst about the direction of the club.
It comes just a day after Sutton told News Corp that Tom and brother Jake felt the club was “imploding”.
Jake is in England as part of Australia’s World Cup squad. Tom has only recently returned from a European holiday to again be confronted by his Sea Eagles in the headlines.
DES-ASTER: MANLY STARS FEAR IMPLOSION AFTER COACH SACKING
—Dean Ritchie
Just when you thought it couldn’t possibly become any more explosive at Brookvale after the sacking of Des Hasler.
The manager of Tom and Jake Trbojevic has revealed Manly’s champion brothers fear their club is “imploding” and how the “conflict and internal rumblings” had “taken a toll” on the footballing pair.
And a brutally honest Paul Sutton, from the SFX Sports Group, said the Trbojevic brothers were “disappointed in the club’s behaviour.”
Jake is so upset he even rang Sutton to express his dismay from England, where he is representing Australia at the World Cup.
Tom is telling friends he has heard several times that elements inside the club have been bad mouthing him and believe he’s overpaid.
Manly has strenuously denied this but Tom is unsettled.
“They feel that the club that they love is imploding in front of their eyes,” Sutton said. “They are really down in the dumps with the place.
“If it continues, it is wearing and once the place becomes unsavoury, what do you do? If it becomes untenable …
“Obviously you’d assume Tommy would be a Sea Eagle for life but all the internal rumblings and conflict have taken a toll on him mentally.
“He has expressed to me his disappointment in the club’s behaviour. He has expressed he is unhappy – both Jake and Tom have.
“Jake has called me from England expressing how unhappy he is with the club. It’s the same as with Tom, this has taken a toll on him.
“All this has probably changed the narrative in terms of how they felt in the past.”
Sutton added: “We haven’t spoken to any other clubs.”
The Trbojevic brothers are local juniors who are adored by the club’s supporter base.
Manly’s pride jumper fiasco, the club’s horror late-season capitulation and now the saga which led to the sacking of coach Des Hasler has Jake and Tom rattled and aggrieved.
The brothers previously would never speak negatively about Manly.
Now the pair is wide-eyed and mature, that stance has changed.
Jake and Tom — who share the same management company as Hasler — are on contract at the club until the end of 2026.
Tom continues to hear external suggestions that the club’s desire to keep him is waning.
“No one from the club has told Tom that personally but he has heard it a number of times,” said one friend. “He is hearing things, he’s not stupid and it’s not ideal.
“It would take a lot to happen but Tom would leave if that was the case. He has just come back from holidays and wishes he was still overseas.”
He also feels saddened and disappointed over the treatment of Hasler, on his way out of Manly to be replaced by Anthony Seibold.
Hasler and the Trbojevic brothers share a close bond. Both have publicly backed their embattled coach.