Pundits started writing Manly off the second Tom Trbojevic's season ended with a shoulder injury, however the Dally M winner has revealed his season isn't necessarily over yet.
Trbojevic was ruled out for the remainder of the year following a shoulder injury sustained in a tight loss to Parramatta back in Round 11, however due to an uninterrupted rehabilitation, Tom has revealed there is still a chance he will take the field again in 2022.
'Turbo' is on track to make a return from his injury in either the second or third week of the finals according to The Daily Telegraph, now it's up to the Sea Eagles to make it that far.
Manly play the Dragons and Roosters over the next fortnight, who sit just below the Sea Eagles in 10th and 9th respectively, and will need to win both to ease the pressure heading into the final month of the regular season.
The bombshell not only means we might see Trbojevic in a Manly jersey again this year, it means we could see him in a Kangaroos jersey as well.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Kangaroos assistant coach Michael Hagan has revealed that if fit, Tom Trbojevic will be named to play right centre at the Rugby League World Cup.
Despite being the current Dally M medallist, Trbojevic doesn't believe he'll be a walk-up start if available during the finals.
“My rehab has been going really well. Recovery from shoulder surgery is always slow but fortunately there haven’t been any complications,” Trbojevic told The Daily Telegraph.
“At this stage, there’s still a lot of rehab work to be done. I could be back for week two or three of the finals if Manly can get through. My schedule says I could be ready by then.
“That’s not to say I will be selected. I won’t have played in a while and could be underdone and if the team is still alive then obviously all the players will have been playing really well."
His selection would see Trbojevic join Latrell Mitchell to complete the centre pairing, with James Tedesco and Val Holmes all but certain to be selected at fullback and on a wing respectively, leaving the likes of Dane Gagai, Selwyn Cobbo, Reuben Garrick and Josh Addo-Carr to fight it out for the vacant wing spot.
While Tom is eager to feature in his second World Cup, similarly to Latrell at the Rabbitohs, he doesn't want to commit to rep selection if his club isn't okay with it.
“I’d certainly put my hand up but I’d also have to have a chat with Manly to see where they sit on the World Cup.
“It’s a hard one. I’m hoping to be available later in the season and we’ll see what happens from there. All I can do is continue getting stuck into my rehab and if any opportunity comes, then I’d be good to go. I just have to keep pushing forward.”
Manly will face off against the Red V this Friday night at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in an absolute must-win affair as the race for the top eight starts to heat up.
