Sea Eagles hit back at ‘Turbo’ claims as star fullback eyes Round 1 return

Manly has hit back at claims it should get rid of Tom Trbojevic, with the star fullback aiming for an early return after a positive injury rehab stint in the States.

Tom Trbojevic is eyeing off a Round 1 return after an injury-plagued year. Picture: Mark Kolbe / Getty Images

Sea Eagles superstar Tom Trbojevic says he’s on track for a Round 1 return after spending the past couple of weeks in America getting his body right after years of injury setbacks.

Trbojevic landed in Sydney on Monday after spending time with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles to work on his body after re-injuring his hamstring in December, having missed most of 2022 with a shoulder injury.

Trbojevic played seven games last year before a shoulder injury ended his season. Picture: NRL Images

The 26-year-old completed 20 sessions in Philadelphia where Knowles got to know him as an athlete for a few days before devising a plan to improve his performance and reduce injury, with “Turbo” managing to play just 32 games across the past three seasons.

Trbojevic has had to change his preparation and how he structures his weeks to ensure he can stay on the park so he can return to the form which saw him claim the 2021 Dally M Medal.

He won’t feature in the trials, with the Sea Eagles set to use the pre-season tournament as a chance to test out their youngsters, but the star fullback is confident he’ll be there for the Round 1 showdown with the Bulldogs.

Trbojevic flew out to the States to work with Bill Knowles. Picture: Julian Andrews

“Going over there was nothing to do with a timeline,” said Trbojevic, who travelled with a Sea Eagles physio, who will continue to work with him back in Manly.

“It was all about putting in the best things for me to avoid injury. He (Knowles) isn’t going to tell me when I can and can’t play – it’s more about what I can do to become a better athlete so that I’m more sustainable for the long-term.

“It’s good mentally in a way in that it provides you with the direction of where you need to go.

“It’s not an overnight fix – it’s a process you need to stick to – and it’s a long-term process that helps my mind. Physically it provides with me with confidence that I can go out there and be in the best position to play footy for as long as I can.”

Trbojevic is a generational player who the Sea Eagles can build around for the next eight years if he remains fit, but the key is keeping the fan favourite healthy after years of frustrating setbacks.

Those constant niggles led to former player Peter Peters suggesting the club should release Trbojevic if he gets injured again, labelling it a “business decision” to save them financially from having their best player on the sidelines.

The comments haven’t gone down well with new coach Anthony Seibold, who has known Trbojevic for a number of years and knows his side can return to finals football with him dominating from the back.

Anthony Seibold hit back at claims the club should release Trbojevic. Picture: Tim Hunter

“It came from a former player of our club, so it was disappointing to hear that in the public domain,” Seibold said.

“I can’t control the commentary from outside the building, but one thing I do know is that he is an important player to our club and where we are and where we want to go.

“I think it’s easy to make comments like that, but I don’t think it was an educated comment.”