Team lists: Tom Trbojevic to miss round 13 as Lachlan Galvin’s move to the Bulldogs all but confirmed after missing out on selection
The Sea Eagles will be without three key stars this weekend, while Lachlan Galvin is expected to join the Bulldogs in the coming days after he wasn’t named by the Tigers.
The Sea Eagles are hoping skipper Daly Cherry-Evans gets through the State of Origin opener unscathed after the club confirmed Tom Trbojevic was one of three stars ruled out of their game against the Broncos this weekend.
Manly’s ugly loss to the Eels has been made worse with news that their superstar fullback tweaked an existing thigh injury that has hampered him in recent weeks.
In more bad news, Siosiua Taukeiaho and Jake Trbojevic will also miss the home game against Brisbane.
“Trbojevic has been playing with a corked thigh in recent weeks and aggravated the injury in last Friday’s loss to the Eels. The club is taking a conservative approach and will rest their star fullback this weekend,” a club statement read.
“Taukeiaho picked up a minor calf strain against the Eels and he too is expected to miss just the one week.
“Jake Trbojevic will also sit out Saturday’s match against the Broncos as he continues to follow NRL concussion protocol.”
The superstar fullback has endured another rough start to the season, with Trbojevic missing out on the Origin team for Wednesday night’s opener.
Lehi Hopoate will shift to fullback against a Broncos side that remains without Reece Walsh. Jesse Arthars has the No.1 on his back with Selwyn Cobbo on the wing.
The Broncos have named Origin stars Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan in the front row, with big man Ben Te Kura included on the bench.
Teams with a number of Origin representatives have been granted an extra player or two on the bench, yet it’s the Wests Tigers who have the biggest headline of round 13 with Lachlan Galvin not named in their side for the trip to Townsville.
Galvin is reportedly set to join the Bulldogs this week and has likely played his last game for the Tigers, with Heath Mason to partner Jarome Luai in the halves as Latu Fainu recovers from injury.
Fletcher Sharpe moves back to five-eighth with Kalyn Ponga set to start for the Knights just two days after Origin, while the Dragons get try-scoring machine Christian Tuipulotu back from a hamstring injury.
The Storm have named their Origin stars and could welcome back Jack Howarth from a shoulder injury after he was named in the reserves for the trip to the Gold Coast who lost Josiah Pahulu to Melbourne on Monday.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has made a big change by dropping grand final hero Paul Alamoti for the derby against Parramatta, with the bottom-placed premiers naming all of their Origin players to back up.
The Eels, Cowboys and Roosters should also have all of their rep stars on deck if they get through Origin unscathed, while the Raiders have named Owen Pattie to start in place of the suspended Tom Starling.