Tom Trbojevic admits he was shocked when told he was to lose the Manly No.1 jersey.
But while the Sea Eagles star is frustrated by the constant commentary about whether he is injured, he is prepared to remain in the centres if it is the best thing for the club.
Trbojevic will start at right centre on Friday night against Wests Tigers, while Lehi Hopoate will play fullback.
However, Manly chief executive Tony Mestrov insists the move is only temporary and designed to help “Turbo” regain some confidence.
“At the end of the day, Lehi is an up-and-coming fullback,” Mestrov said. “He’s terrific and the future, but Tom is still one of the best players in the world when he’s at fullback … hopefully he will get his confidence back, and he will go back to fullback.”
Trbojevic has started at centre just five times in 160 NRL games for Manly, but been a regular centre for NSW and Australia.
The 28-year-old said the move was the best thing for the team, but he was unsure how to take the idea when it was first floated by coach Anthony Seibold.
“I’ve come to terms with it″: Tom Trbojevic has lost his coveted Manly No.1 jersey.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
When asked if he took the news personally, Trbojevic said: “You do. They’re just your initial reactions. Once you reflect on it, I don’t feel like I’m an unreasonable person, and I’m not someone who thinks he’s entitled to this and that. I get it, I’m still playing footy, so I can’t really complain too much.”
Pressed on whether it took him a while to get over the news, Trbojevic said: “Yeah, but we don’t have a while in this game. I’ve had many conversations in the past week with Seibs and the staff about it. I’ve come to terms with it, and it’s about moving forward now.
“Having a kind of stop-start year, it doesn’t build confidence. You only get confidence going out and playing consistent footy. I’ve just got to focus on that.
“It’s been a really frustrating year for me so far. It’s quite hard [to deal with], but that’s all right.
“Every man and his dog has a comment about how I am and how I feel.
“I think half the time people say I look injured when I don’t play well, which is kind of what it’s come to.
“I get it. Is it frustrating? Yes. But I get it. Like last game, there was a report saying I wasn’t 100 per cent, but I was fine.
Tom Trbojevic trained at right centre inside Reuben Garrick.Credit: Thomas Wielecki
“I’m happy to do what’s best for the team. I’m not bigger than the club.”
There are few – if any – better fullbacks in the game when Trbojevic is fit and firing. Who can forget his 2021 season when he won the Dally M Medal playing just 18 games?
His move allows Hopoate to slot into the custodian role, with Reuben Garrick, who has been vocal about wanting to play centre – and has done so for the past 18 months – reverting to right wing.
Manly are coming off losses to lowly Newcastle and the Gold Coast, which led to speculation about Seibold’s future.
“That’s just all external noise because of the fact we’re losing footy games. We just need to win games and then it’ll go away,” Trbojevic said about the coach.
“We’re a club that should be playing finals footy, and at this stage we’re not in the top eight. We need to change that. It’s a poor reflection on all of us. We’re the only ones who can turn it around.”
Mestrov, who announced a partnership with Manly Fast Ferry on Monday afternoon, said of Seibold, who is contracted until the end of 2027: “At the end of the day, Seibs is 100 per cent safe, and we’re in the battle together. The board, myself, we’re backing Seibs.
“We’re only just out of the top eight. We know we’ve got a good footy team – we know we’ve got a top-four side. We’ve lost our last two games against lower sides, which is unacceptable.
“We had some soul-searching and tough conversations during the bye week, and Seibs and I expect a better performance on Friday.
“Seibs has two more years after this, and I expect him to see that out.”
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