Parramatta Eels vs. Manly Sea Eagles: Live NRL scores, news & SuperCoach analysis
Tom Trbojevic may have been strapping free, but the Manly star struggled to make an impact, as the Parramatta Eels stunned the Sea Eagles without their Origin stars. See what we learned from the match.
Tom Trbojevic was strapping free but still struggled to find top gear after captaining the Sea Eagles to a loss to Parramatta on Friday night.NRL Match Day Widget
Fresh from his Origin snubbing after a run of hampered performances, Trbojevic looked more comfortable in his body. Despite running better than he has in recent weeks he still failed to have a strong impact on the match despite running for 203 metres – the third best of any player on the field. .
He finished the game with 23 runs, three off-loads but no line-breaks or try assists.
Manly coach Anthony Seibold said pre-game that Trbojevic had been struggling with a cork and would be unencumbered. He was right but Trbojevic failed to spark his side to a win.
It was not through a lack of effort but instead minimal opportunities created for the Manly fullback.
He tried hard and had a couple of key moments but was unable to burst through the Parramatta defence despite looking threatening.
He had a hand in Manly’s first two tries in the first half with both four pointers to Lehi Hopoate a near replica of each other.
Trbojevic ran deep into the line before passing to centre Tolutau Koula who threw the final ball for Hopoate’s tries.
Trbojevic was also involved in a crucial try-saving tackle on a flying Eels forward Luca Moretti. He almost scored a try of his own in the first half before being bundled towards the sideline forcing him to throw the ball in field.
Trbojevic’s stand-out moment came in the second half but failed to deliver a try. He threw a well-timed cut out pass to Hopoate who was denied a try after his arm grazed the sideline.
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Originally published as Parramatta Eels vs. Manly Sea Eagles: Live NRL scores, news & SuperCoach analysis
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