Manly mull over Trbojevic cheekbone risk
Manly will give Tom Trbojevic until as late as kick off to decide if he can take on Canberra as they monitor the swelling in the NRL's most talked about cheekbone.
Trbojevic's availability for not just Friday night's match against Canberra but the rest of the regular season has been the main point of conjecture this week, amid concerns of a facial fracture.
Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler again insisted on Thursday a previous plate inserted in Trbojevic's face had prevented any break, and that the star fullback carried no long-term concerns out of a collision with teammate Jason Saab.
But Hasler will wait to see if swelling subsides before making a call on whether Trbojevic plays on Friday night, concerned about risk of re-injury.
"There's no fracture there, so that was the main thing," Hasler said.
"It's whether or not the risk of upsetting or injuring the plate. It's something that we know will take pretty seriously.
"He's progressing pretty. We might give up to kick off... It's just swelling and whether it's a risk."
If Trbojevic doesn't play, Reuben Garrick will switch to fullback while Dylan Walker or Tevita Funa would likely slot into the backline.
While Trbojevic's long-term availability is Manly's biggest concern, they are also mindful of chasing a top-four spot.
The Sea Eagles need one more win than the Sydney Roosters over the final three games to claim fourth, and have a slightly easier draw.
Trbojevic is easily the most influential player in the game, with the Sea Eagles a staggering 33.7 points better in games he has played this year.
They have won just 11 of their past 35 games without the Dally M favourite, compared to 25 of 33 with him since the start of 2019.
Their previous loss without the fullback came against the Raiders in round 17, but Hasler insists this week's game will be entirely different even without Trbojevic.
He pointed to the fact Trbojevic was one of six Sea Eagles that missed the game, including Daly Cherry-Evans in Queensland camp and Jake Trbojevic through injury.
"They had a few out as well so it was a pretty tight kind of game," Hasler said.
"The thing I remember most about that game was the amount of possession that Canberra had.
"So we've got to be respectful about that, we have make sure we manage possession a bit better."
