Manly sign Ben Trbojevic, hoping Tom and Jake are next
Manly are hoping one key signing will help put an end to recent speculation that Tom and Jake Trbojevic could leave the club — their younger brother Ben.
The family that stays together, plays together.
Manly’s chances of re-signing superstars Tom and Jake Trbojevic in a $2 million a season package have been strengthened by the Sea Eagles’ retention of younger brother Ben.
Ben, 17, has agreed to a new two-year contract which will keep him at Brookvale until after the 2021 season.
Having Ben stay at Manly will no doubt play a decisive role in whether Tom and Jake re-sign long-term with the Sea Eagles. Ben, Jake, Tom and fourth brother Luke are exceptionally close.
A rising centre and edge forward, Ben has been elevated into Manly’s under-20 Jersey Flegg side for the remainder of this season.
The three brothers have long held a passionate desire to one day play together.
While that was impossible in junior football because of their age differences, the three may soon get that chance at NRL level provided Tom and Jake stay, as is expected, and Ben continues to develop.
Manly have never had three brothers play first grade together in the club’s 72-year history.
The two Blake brothers, Phil and Michael, played alongside each other at Manly in the early 1980s. Then came Brett and Glenn Stewart, Darcy and Joey Lussick and Kieran and Liam Foran — but never three brothers.
Tom and Jake come off contract after next season but rival clubs can lodge formal offers from November 1 this year.
Manly have made contact with Tom and Jake’s agent, Paul Sutton of SFX management, but no formal offers have been submitted.
The Sea Eagles are desperate to retain the pair before they enter the open market, when NRL clubs would begin circling.
Rivals clubs claim Tom would be worth a tick more than $1 million a season, Jake a fraction under $1 million a season. It is expected the brothers would be offered deals spanning four years.
The Daily Telegraph reached out to Manly co-owner Scott Penn about the Trbojevic brothers but he was overseas and did not respond.
It would appear highly unlikely Jake and Tom, who were both Mona Vale juniors, would quit Manly given their lofty standing on Sydney’s northern beaches off and on the field.
But Parramatta and Canterbury have been quietly mooted as clubs that could be interested.
Ben played in Manly’s SG Ball grand final side this year before graduating into the under-20s. He also played for NSW under-18s in the curtain raiser to State of Origin I in Brisbane.
Just last week, Jake said of Ben: “Ben is only young and still has a lot to learn and has a long way to go.
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“He played in the SG Ball team this year and they lost the grand final and he has just started playing under-20s.
“He has only played the last couple of weeks. It is a good experience for him. He is only 17.”
The older brothers will play for Manly against Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon at Cbus Stadium, while Ben will confront Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium on the same day.
Jake and Tom were exceptional in Origin II, Jake winning man-of-the-match honours and Tom scoring three tries.
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