I Face Criticism: Anthony Seibold Announces Manly Will Reevaluate Trbojevic’s Position Change

Manly’s coach Anthony Seibold has indicated that the club will reevaluate Tom Trbojevic’s transition to a centre position after the upcoming bye, following his comments to journalists after the Sea Eagles’ 28-10 victory over the Tigers on Friday night.

Trbojevic expressed his disappointment regarding the positional switch just prior to the match, with Lehi Hopoate stepping into the No.1 jersey.

Although he had some shaky moments defensively, Trbojevic did manage to assist in Jason Saab’s first try and recorded a line-break assist.

Hopoate, too, experienced some missteps but contributed with a try assist and a line-break assist as the Sea Eagles pulled ahead in the second half after a tightly contested first half.

Seibold faced numerous inquiries regarding Trbojevic’s positional change during the post-match press conference, devoting considerable time to the topic.

“For the past 18 months, I’ve been hearing from everyone that we should move Turbo to centre because it offers him more physical protection, yet when I finally do it, I face criticism,” Seibold commented.

“This was not a punishment. My aim is to let him have fun playing and I believe that moving him to centre will give him more freedom.

“He plays alongside (Daly Cherry-Evans), with whom he shares plenty of experience; he’s the Australian centre.

I just want him to feel good and get back to doing what he does best.

“This isn’t a permanent change. We’ll keep it going for next week’s match against the Rabbitohs and then reassess everything after the bye in round 19.”

Trbojevic’s running performance was comparable to Hopoate’s, with Trbojevic completing 18 runs for 125 metres, while Hopoate recorded an equal number of runs for 143 metres.

Both players had their share of errors, with Hopoate struggling with ball control and Trbojevic conceding the Tigers’ first try when Adam Doueihi broke through on his side.

The win ended a two-match losing streak for Manly and saw them return to the top eight. However, ongoing speculation about the future of captain Daly Cherry-Evans remains.

Seated beside Seibold, Cherry-Evans was asked when he would reveal his intentions regarding his future.

“To be honest, I’m not looking to make any announcements in the near future,” Cherry-Evans responded.

“We’ve discussed it within the team, and I can assure you that it’s not a distraction. I don’t foresee anything happening soon.”

When pressed further, Cherry-Evans reiterated: “To avoid going down a rabbit hole, I’ll clarify: I’ve made my decision known to Manly to ensure I have the freedom to make a choice that’s best for me next year.

“When I eventually make that announcement, it will be because it’s the right situation for my future.

The priority right now is how we perform this season. Based on the reassurances I’ve received from my teammates, we’ll take it one week at a time and aim for finals this year.”