Manly Sea Eagles skipper Tom Trbojevic has leapt to the defence of older brother Jake after a shaky start to the season has seen the Sea Eagles slump to a 0-2 start.

The Sea Eagles are looking to get their season back on track when they host the Sydney Roosters at Brookvale on Thursday.

It will be the first time long-term club legend Daly Cherry-Evans will return to the ground, but this time in enemy colours. 

Speculation has been mounting, with many widely criticising Jake Trbojevic's start to the year, questioning if he is up to the challenge of playing big minutes in the lock position for Manly.

Although Tom has backed his older brother to bounce back, and re-iterating why he is so important to the Sea Eagles outfit.

"I briefly got tipped up on this before, I don't like to read into it too much, but I think it's a little bit disappointing that he's coming under fire," he said.

"A lot of people that watch the game get caught up in the stats - but he's a real leader for us in defence and the way he links our attack together.

"I really think it's unfair that he is coming under criticism, the way he's gone after these two weeks considering he's coming off a head injury last year, it's been great.

"I know Jake is a different character and he does get quite worked up, but I think he's tough enough to know that journalists and analysts are entitled to their own opinions.

"The commentary around him is very unfair and he's an integral part of this team. 

"I'm not here to justify why he's good enough - we at this club know why he's good enough and we really appreciate him as a footy player and a person." 

After three significant head knocks last year, whispers of retirement have crept into conversations for Trbojevic.

What also hasn't helped Jake was the NRL's involvement in speeding up the game, bringing fatigue into the match.

With Trbojevic's major strength being his defence, and once regarded as a top lock in the game, the likes of more nimble, agile locks such as Cameron Murray, Erin Clark and Patrick Carrigan have slowly overtaken him in the pecking order.

"If he wants to keep playing, and he's energised and wants to keep playing and getting better as a footy player, then yeah I do," Tom said when asked if Jake will continue playing on.

"I love playing with him, he's a great part of this team and he's a real leader.

"Ultimately, it's his decision on how he feels."

Whether the Sea Eagles faithful on the hill will boo Cherry-Evans this Thursday is unknown, with Tom saying he has been an integral part of the club's history and hopes fans will remember it that way.

"I think they should cheer him, what he's done for this club … he's one of the all-time greats," the Sea Eagles skipper told media on Monday.

"I'm not gonna tell fans what to do, but I'd like to think they cheer him. I can understand it in a sense that he played for us and now he's playing for a different club.

"Look, I'm not gonna tell anyone what to do - if they're gonna boo him, they're gonna boo him and it doesn't matter what I say.

"I've known him for a long time, he's a good person and he's been an unbelievable player for this club and I'd like to think as fans, people would show him respect."

Cherry-Evans has the chance to bring up his 100th NRL try this weekend, and what better place to achieve the milestone than his old stomping ground at Brookvale Oval.