Matty Johns: Tom Trbojevic is the most important teammate in the NRL

There is no debate about it. No player in Rugby League is more important to his team winning or losing than Tom Trbojevic, writes Matty Johns.

NSW's Tom Trbojevic, Nathan Cleary and James Tedesco at Scarborough Beach ahead of State of Origin game 2 in Perth. Picture: Brett Costello

So far, 2021 is the season of the fullback, it blows me away how this position continues to evolve and continues to grow in importance.

Tedesco, Papenhuyzen, Latrell, Ponga, Gutho, Charnze, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and so on.

Once the fullbacks’ main requirement was to be safe. Safe under the high ball and a solid last line of defence.

Now a fullback is required to be nothing short of brilliant.

As all these fullbacks have set the competition alight, Tom Trbojevic sat on the sideline nursing a hamstring, and subsequently started slipping out of our minds when discussing the game’s best fullbacks.

But then suddenly he returns.

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Tom Trbojevic, James Tedesco and Clint Gutherson during Origin camp in 2019. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

He returns and he lays claim to being the NRL’s best player.

That’s debatable, but something which isn’t is the fact no player in Rugby League is more important to his team winning or losing.

In fact I’ve never seen such reliance on a non-playmaker.

In 1993, the Canberra Raiders were the red hot favourites as the season edged toward the Finals, their season fell to pieces the second Ricky Stuart got his leg awkwardly caught when making a tackle, suffering a horrific break. Ricky of course was their halfback and the Raiders went from being beautifully choreographed and supremely confident to lost and uncertain.

In 2001 the Newcastle Knights were on a hot mid-season run, six weeks in a row, a number of huge victories. But then suddenly halfback and Captain Andrew Johns, suffers a knee injury which would sideline him for the next six matches … the Knights scraped home to win the next two, but then things turned bad, losing their next four games with the losses getting gradually worse.

When they met Parramatta in Round 17 they were a team with no confidence and were belted 40-0.

Joey returned the following week against competition heavy weights Brisbane and smashed the Broncos 44-0.

The Knights would go on to win the title.

Manly’s turnaround with Trbojevic has been similar.

The week prior, the Sea Eagles edged out the Warriors 13-12 but till that point, they’d looked a bottom four team, losing 46-4, 26-12, 38-12 and 46-6.

In their 36-0 demolition of the Titans, Manly’s confidence was sky high, Tom was back, as was the belief.

Manly’s game plan and attacking formations hadn’t changed, it was just that Tom was the man on the end of the passes.

Simple block plays which had been easily read and shut down were now shredding the defence to pieces.

Players like Trbojevic don’t just make the team better, they give individuals confidence.

Without him, the player on $300 000, plays like he’s worth $150 000, with Tom in the team the same man could place himself on the open market and get a bite at $450 000.

It’s about self-belief, but it’s also about everyone settling back into their roles in the team, not stepping outside of the boundaries of their job, not suddenly trying to be the solution for every problem.

With a key man missing, I’ve seen and played in teams where suddenly, the front-rower decides he’d like to experiment with a little kicking or wingers fancying their hand at some play-making.

Suddenly the team’s five miles off shore with no paddle and no rudder.

There’s a harmony between Tom and Jake Trbojevic. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

In Manly’s case it’s also the formation of key combinations. Every crucial combination in the Sea Eagles team involves Tom, his smarts, his speed, his vision.

Brother Jake really missed Tom. The brotherly understanding is a luxury and a weapon in a fast-paced game, and Tom popping up on inside balls off Jake and tight little block shapes, had his older brother back to making his usual impact.

And it’s enormously important for halves, Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran.

It’s the best game I’ve seen Kieran Foran play in years.

While the talk had been around Manly finishing bottom four, it’s now shifted to them playing Finals. To do that Tom will need to stay fit, the win/loss record with him says that if he were to get injured at training tomorrow, the talk would again turn pessimistic.

But when talking about the improvement in the Sea-Eagles, Josh Schuster deserves credit too.

Schuster is a clever multi-talented player who’s a threat running the football or with a pass.

Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran have always operated best alongside a back-rower who can share the creative duties.

There’s no better example of this than Glen Stewart, a player who allowed Daly Cherry-Evans to simplify his game and focus more on the run, than the pass.

Schuster’s creative presence will help form some other key combinations in attack.

Interesting game Manly vs Tigers, can the Sea Eagles keep the kettle boiling? While it will be interesting to see what Tigers team turns up.

Last week it was no surprise to see them come out firing after their week of criticism and self-assessment.

After their epic narrow loss to the Bunnies the team had received plenty of credit for their effort, let’s see if they can repeat that effort without the public lashing.