Tom Trbojevic

Early career

In 2014 and 2015, Trbojevic played for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles' ^[6][7] In June 2014, he played for the New South Wales Under-18s team.^[8] On 25 September 2014, he re-signed with the Sea Eagles on a 2-year contract.^[9]

2015

Trbojevic started 2015 playing fullback for Manly's NYC team and crossed for 4 tries in the opening game of the season against the Parramatta Eels at Pirtek Stadium. He continued to play a starring role in the Under 20's as Manly won its first four games of the season until injuries forced first grade coach Geoff Toovey to promote him to make his NRL debut on the wing for the Sea Eagles in their Round 5 game against the Canberra Raiders at the Lavington Sports Ground in Albury in country NSW.^[10] Although Manly ultimately lost the game 29-16, Trbojevic scored a try with only his second touch of the ball and later crossed for his second try on debut.^[11] Unfortunately, a high ankle injury suffered in the following round against the Penrith Panthers sidelined him for a number of weeks.

On 28 April, along with older brother Jake and fellow local junior Clint Gutherson, Trbojevic extended his contract with the Sea Eagles from the end of 2016 to the end of 2017.^[12]

Due to the quality of the Manly backline which included representative players Brett Stewart, Jamie Lyon, Steve Matai, Peta Hiku and Jorge Taufua, Trbojevic has been forced to bide his time playing in the NYC while being used as an injury replacement winger for the Manly's NRL side. On 25 July against the New Zealand Warriors at the Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand while playing fullback in the NYC, Trbojevic had his second 4 try game of the season (giving him 14 in 7 NYC games in 2015), accumulating a NYC record 466 running metres for the game, prompting calls for him to be made a permanent first grade player.^[13] Two weeks before he had played his 7th first grade game, crossing for a double in Manly's 38-6 defeat of the Gold Coast Titans, but was dropped for the next game against the North Queensland Cowboys in favour of returning New Zealand test centre Hiku. On 1 August following the Warriors game, he was again called into the NRL team as a replacement for Steve Matai who had been heavily concussed the week before against the Warriors. Trbojevic scored his third double of the season, including scooping up a loose ball and racing 70 metres to score the final try of the game, and played a starring role as Manly defeated the competition leading Brisbane Broncos 44-14 at the Central Coast Stadium in Gosford.^[14]

Despite only having played only 8 games in first grade in 2015, all of them on the wing, Trbojevic's talent as a fullback was recognised when he was named in the position for Rugby League Week's 2015 NRL Rookie Team of the Year.^[15] He was also named at fullback in the 2015 NYC Team of the Year.^[16]

Trbojevic's final game for Manly in 2015 was the Holden Cup Grand Final played on NRL Grand Final day. Although he had another strong game and scored his 29th try in 22 games for the year (21 tries from 13 games in the under-20s and 8 tries in 9 NRL games), the Sea Eagles went down to the minor premiers Penrith Panthers 34-18.^[17]

2016

On 1 February, Trbojevic was named in the Sea Eagles' 2016 NRL Auckland Nines squad.^[18]

Trbojevic would play 23 games for the Sea Eagles in 2016, missing only Round 9 due to a high ankle sprain suffered in the Anzac Day match against the Newcastle Knights. Although hampered by the injury which would require corrective surgery at the end of the season, he continued playing and was rewarded mid-season when he and brother Jake were called into the New South Wales squad before Game 3 of the 2016 State of Origin series as development players. He would go on to score 10 tries for the Sea Eagles after taking over from Brett Stewart at fullback (following season ending knee surgery to Stewart). On 7 September he was named as the Roy Bull Best and Fairest for the Sea Eagles 2016 season.^[19]

2017

With the injury enforced retirement of Brett Stewart, Trbojevic became Manly's first choice fullback for the 2017 NRL season. His form was such that he was predicted to be selected on the wing for New South Wales until suffering an injury in a game against the Brisbane Broncos on 13 May. Broncos halfback Kodi Nikorima put up a bomb which Trbojevic was forced to let bounce. With Brisbane winger David Mead flying through in his chase of the kick, Trbojevic was forced to leap to catch the ball and was tackled while in mid-air, coming down with his left leg buckling awkwardly underneath him.^[20] He was diagnosed with a Medial ligament tear in his knee and syndesmosis in his ankle and was expected to be out for 6–8 weeks.^[21] He finished the season with 22 Games and 12 tries. At the end of the year he was rewarded for this form with an Australian jersey, playing 2 games in the World Cup and scoring 1 try.

2018

In round 4, Trbojevic injured his ankle in the final 10 minutes of the game and missed the next weeks game.^[22] On the 6th of June he made the NSW team and won the series 2-1 and his brother jake Trbojevic. On the bench. Trbojevic played all three of the New South Wales Blues on the wing and scored two tries. ^[23].

Statistics

Season	Team	Games	Tries	Goals	F/G	Points
2015	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	9	8	0	0	32
2016		23	10	-	-	40
2017		23	12	-	-	48
2018		22	9	–	-	36
Total		77	39	-	-	156

^{Last updated: 19 October 2018}