Manly’s Tom Trbojevic will miss Saturday’s clash against Brisbane—and possibly the following round against Newcastle—because of a persistent corked quad injury.
The latest blow for the Sea Eagles superstar shared top billing in Tuesday’s team selection news with the Wests Tigers’ decision to not select Lachlan Galvin for any team this weekend.
Galvin remains on three days’ leave at the Tigers and will not be required to train on Wednesday but appears to have played his last game for the club after telling Canterbury he is keen to switch to Belmore immediately.
Given he still remains contracted to the Tigers—and the Bulldogs have the bye—Galvin was available to be selected by Benji Marshall, but the coach had other ideas.
The news of Trbojevic being sidelined again by a persistent injury adds pain for a team that has lost five of its past seven matches.
The Manly star had played a couple of weeks with the cork, then aggravated it during Friday’s loss to Parramatta.
Trbojevic’s older brother Jake will also miss the game at 4 Pines Park because of concussion protocols, as will Siua Taukeiaho (calf). Queensland Origin captain Daly Cherry-Evans will be assessed on Friday.
“The cork had been troubling Tommy, and he’s got what they call a minor myofascial injury in the same leg,” coach Anthony Seibold said. “He got a scan on Monday, and the doctor said he won’t be able to play this week.
“Hopefully, he can be back for the Knights, but it’s only a five-day turnaround, so it might be two weeks yet. We’ve just got to treat it cautiously because if he does any more damage, it can potentially become a tear.”
Trbojevic has already battled knee and hamstring injuries this season, which prompted former NSW Origin star center Josh Morris to tell 2GB over the weekend it was time for Manly to “bite the bullet” and move “Turbo” to center or five-eighth to lessen his workload.
Seibold, who has rejected external calls to move Trbojevic from the fullback role on more than one occasion, said GPS data indicated he completed just as much work at center, which was a position where he also endured more contact.
Tigers’ rising star Lachlan Galvin
Meanwhile, the Tigers have overlooked Galvin, despite him being eligible for selection for Saturday’s trek to Townsville to take on the Cowboys.
Heath Mason, who has mainly played as a fullback when called into the top squad, will start in the halves alongside Jarome Luai.
The Tigers are prepared to let Galvin go in the belief Latu Fainu will make the No. 6 jersey his own. However, the teen playmaker remains sidelined with a hand injury, although he is expected to return next week.
‘The goalposts moved’: Gus explains Bulldogs backflip as Galvin is set to sign.
As they prepare to part with Galvin, the Tigers are also in danger of losing Tallyn Da Silva when his contract expires at the end of 2026. The teenage hooker is also considered one of the best young spine players in the game, but the club has been told he won’t re-sign if Api Koroisau’s contract is extended.
The Tigers want to keep them both but are likely to prioritize Koroisau.
The Panthers and Roosters will be hoping their huge Origin contingents survive Wednesday night and are available for Sunday’s games against Parramatta and Canberra, respectively.
