‘Tom has not been diagnosed with concussion’: Trbojevic cleared to play in huge Sea Eagles boost

The Sea Eagles have had a big win with Tom Trbojevic cleared to play despite fears he would miss Friday’s game against the Dolphins.

Tom Trbojevic has been cleared to play on Friday night after getting the green light from the NRL. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Manly’s chances of jumping back into the top eight have received a major boost with fullback Tom Trbojevic cleared by the NRL to play on Friday night after leaving the field in the State of Origin with a head knock.

It was initially feared Trbojevic would miss the round 15 game against the Dolphins under the NRL’s new automatic 11-day stand-down policy for concussions after he was hit high by Queensland’s Tom Flegler in Adelaide.

Tom Trbojevic has been cleared by the NRL to play for Manly after he copped a head knock in the State of Origin opener. Picture; Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Flegler was sent to the sin bin and Trbojevic was immediately taken from the field, but the Sea Eagles were adamant from the outset that their marquee man wasn’t concussed.

In a statement released on Tuesday morning, the club said it had undertaken a lengthy process, both internally and externally, to determine the severity of the injury, with the Sea Eagles finding nothing wrong with Trbojevic.

Any player who shows category 1 symptoms is immediately ruled out for 11 days under the new guidelines, with the NRL revealing on Monday that no club has asked for an exemption since the rules came into place.

Trbojevic’s inclusion is great news for the Sea Eagles who take on the Dolphins on Friday night and can leapfrog their rivals into the top eight if results go their way.

While his form had been questioned earlier in the year, the fullback did score three tries in his most recent game for Manly in their win over Canberra.

It’s a big boost for the Sea Eagles who have struggled to score points without Trbojevic in the side. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

“Our chief club medical officer, Dr Paul Bloomfield, agreed that Tom had to be removed from the field but at no point was he diagnosed with concussion,” Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov said.

“Furthermore, Tom does not have a history of concussion issues.

“Throughout this process, Tom has not been diagnosed with concussion from either NSW Dr Nathan Gibbs, Dr Bloomfield, or independent doctor, Dr Chris Levi.

“Tom will line up for the Sea Eagles on Friday night.”

Originally published as ‘Tom has not been diagnosed with concussion’: Trbojevic cleared to play in huge Sea Eagles boost