Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic will be sidelined for up to two months after scans confirmed the severity of his hamstring injury suffered at training.
Trbojevic will be racing the clock to get back to full fitness in time for the trials in February, but should be right for Round 1 barring any setbacks.
“Manly Warringah Sea Eagles fullback Tom Trbojevic today underwent scans on a hamstring injury suffered at pre-season training on Wednesday,” Manly confirmed in a statement on Thursday.
“An MRI confirmed a Grade 2 hamstring with an expected recovery time of 6-8 weeks.”
On Wednesday Trbojevic was sent for “precautionary scans” after suffering a suspected hamstring injury at training.
News Corp reports the 26-year-old suffered the injury to his right leg as he was slowing down on a run.
He reportedly sat on the ground afterwards with his head in his hands and then limped from the field.
Sea Eagles CEO Tony Mestrov could not reveal the severity of the injury but confirmed Trbojevic had been sent for scans.
“Tom didn’t finish the training session and has gone off for a precautionary scan. I can’t say any more,” he told News Corp.
It’s a cruel blow for Trbojevic, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Round 11.
Trbojevic has battled a chronic left hamstring injury over his career, however it’s understood this latest injury was his right one — the same hamstring he injured after the Corso incident in the lead-up to the 2021 season.
It’s the last thing the club needs after a horror end to the 2022 season which saw coach Des Hasler sacked in the fallout from the infamous Pride jersey saga.
The mess concerned Trbojevic, who had an emergency meeting with his manager, Paul Sutton to discuss his future.
Trbojevic decided to stick solid with Manly and reassured fans earlier this month, declaring that he is “very happy” at the club and was “looking forward” to working with new coach Anthony Seibold.
Seibold’s NRL coaching career was resurrected when the Sea Eagles signed him on a three-year deal.
Now, depending on the outcome of the scans, Seibold faces the prospect of starting the season without his most important player.
