Sea Eagles hope to have Tom Trbojevic back next week, but there’s one thing that could get in the way

Anthony Seibold hopes to have skipper Daly Cherry-Evans back on deck for their big game against Brisbane on Saturday night, with the Sea Eagles coach hopeful that Tom Trbojevic will miss just one match as the club takes a conservative approach with their most important player.

Cherry-Evans will be given until Saturday evening to make a final call on his availability, with the Sea Eagles missing a stack of stars for what will be their first NRL match against the Broncos at Brookvale since 2014.

Trbojevic was ruled out on Tuesday after he aggravated the corked thigh that has been troubling him in recent weeks, with the superstar fullback tracking well to return for their next game against the Knights.

“The only thing that would hurt that is that we’re on a five-day turnaround,” Seibold said.

“If it was a Sunday game, it would be 100 per cent certain that he’d play, so that’d be the only consideration that the medical staff have told me.

“He’ll get moving again today. It’s exactly the same issue he’s had for a few weeks with that leg. He just needed a rest and will hopefully be right for next Thursday night. It’s not a long-term injury.”

The thigh issue is the latest setback for one of the game’s most exciting players, with Trbojevic managing just one 20-game season since the start of 2019.

The former Dally M winner has dealt with hamstring and knee issues over his career, and Seibold concedes the constant attention on Trbojevic’s health has taken a toll.

“He is (frustrated). He’s a very diligent guy and an extremely elite professional when it comes to his preparation and his reconditioning and his recovery and so on,” he said.

“Injuries are a part of the game. We’re a contact sport, so this happens. If you look across the competition, this happens every week.

“Turbo gets put in the spotlight a lot, so that would make him feel uncomfortable that it’s always in the news.

“This is the most minor injury or niggle, but we’ve got to look after him. As important as this game is, we’re not even halfway through the season so that’s why we’re being conservative with Turbo.”

He won’t be the only Trbojevic missing on Saturday with Jake still in concussion protocols, while Seibold confirmed winger Jason Saab (illness) would miss the match between two teams fighting for a spot in the top eight.

“It’s difficult because you want your best players on the park,” he said.

“We’re down a couple of troops, but it shouldn’t matter. We’ve got great belief in the guys that we put in the jersey, so I expect a really wholehearted performance.

“(I want to see) a Manly performance where we’re not looking at the scoreboard, we’re showing lots of effort and we’re having a crack for our mates and we make it really uncomfortable for the opposition, regardless who they are.”