UPDATE: Manly Sea Eagles megastar Tom Trbojevic has undergone scans on his dislocated shoulder with the club set to weigh up surgical options in the coming days.
Trobjevic, who has already missed a large chunk of the season due to a knee injury, came off the field in severe pain during the second half of Manly’s loss to Parramatta on Friday night, after hurting his left shoulder while diving for a loose ball in the in-goal area.
The Sea Eagles released an update on Trbojevic’s injury status in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
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“Manly Warringah Sea Eagles full-back Tom Trbojevic underwent scans this afternoon for a dislocated shoulder injury following last night’s match against Parramatta,” the statement read.
“The Club will now seek surgical opinions early next week.”
The unfortunate incident left Nine’s commentary team collectively grimacing after seeing the replays.
“You get a good gauge from the player’s demeanour on an injury,” Storm great Billy Slater told Nine’s Macca’s Golden Point.
“JT (Johnathan Thurston) and I have had our fair share of shoulder injuries and it’s a really awkward joint and it takes a lot to get back from them.
“You can rehab them sometimes and you can strengthen them up and get back and play, but the way Tom walked down the tunnel, he was dejected, he was in a lot of pain. They got the shoulder back in the socket, but how much damage has been done? That’s the big question.
“We hate to see it happen to anyone, but Tom’s had his fair share of injuries and he certainly doesn’t deserve this. He’s the nicest person in the world and it’s hard to watch.”
“As a rugby league fan, you don’t like seeing any player go off, let alone one of the best in the competition,” Thurston added.
“I felt sick to the stomach when he was walking off. As you can see he is devastated. It’s not good for the Manly Sea Eagles over the next few weeks.”
Trbojevic’s injury has implications at both club and representative level, with the State of Origin series just weeks away. He is one of a number of key New South Wales players injured, along with Ryan Papenhuyzen and Latrell Mitchell.
“We’ve got another week to go, but if you go over the history of State of Origin, some of the greatest wins have come under the greatest adversity,” Trbojevic’s Origin coach, Brad Fittler, told Macca’s Golden Point.
“That’s the beauty of the game and there’s a great opportunity there for a player now. I was pretty much confident that he was going to play in the centres, so there’s an opportunity out there for someone to make a name for themselves and step up.”
Despite the injury, Fittler was left impressed by Trbojevic’s overall performance and his commitment, which was evident in the play he got injured.
“At the start of the game I was watching him run out and saying how he was looking a little bit freer,” he said.
“We were watching throughout the game about how his legs and knees were going, he had strapping everywhere. He had a couple of really great plays, he had the nice tip-on for the try, he came down the other end of the field and set up a try as well.
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“There was a knock-on in front of it so he didn’t have to dive for the ball really, the play was over, but it shows what kind of player he is, the urgency to the death, just putting his body on the line totally.
“That’s what you want from your players, you can’t ask for anything more. He obviously won’t be playing State of Origin, but to go out like that says a lot about him.”