Sea Eagles head coach Des Hasler has shut down talk of Tom Trbojevic returning this season, revealing the superstar fullback isn't in Manly's plans for the rest of the 2022 season.
Trbojevic came out on Wednesday to declare he would be fit for the 'second or third week of the finals' if the Sea Eagles made it that far into the postseason, and spoke about his burning desire to be picked for Australia in this year's Rugby League World Cup
The reigning Dally M medallist has been sidelined since he sustained a shoulder injury against Parramatta in Round 11, prematurely ending his season after just nine games, or so we thought.
A certain selection at right centre for the Kangaroos if available, the tournament would mark 'Turbo's second World Cup appearance, after playing in games against France and Lebanon during the 2017 RLWC.
However, despite the fullback's ambitions, Des Hasler has put a halt to the talk just 24 hours after the comments became public, stating there's no date set for Tom's return.
"We haven't really put any timeframes around the recovery, probably what was outlined was more from a medical perspective so there's still a fair amount of work to be covered off for that," he told The Canberra Times.
"But it's good to be optimistic, that's the sort of kid Tommy is, he just loves his footy and is keen to play.
"But I stress, we've just got to relax a bit, particularly you journos, there's really no timeframe."
The head coach danced around Trbojevic's availability for the World Cup, declaring it's too early to be talking about.
"It's difficult to answer that question, there's no point going on record or saying anything about it," he said.
"He's pretty intelligent, pretty pragmatic about it. We'll just take a deep breath and just continue on what we're doing... there's such a long way to go, it's still three months away."
Despite the impressive performances from Reuben Garrick at fullback, the Sea Eagles could really use Trbojevic's impact as they cling to 8th spot by the skin of their teeth, and simply must win against the 10th-placed Dragons on Friday night if there is any hope of seeing Turbo in the finals.
