‘Gonna have to make a call’: Gus weighs in on murky Turbo future
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Phil Gould has urged the Manly Sea Eagles not to give up on Tom Trbojevic just yet, despite the star fullback suffering his ninth hamstring injury in eight years.
It is a position that the 29-year-old has become all too familiar with over the years as he learned over the weekend that he would be back on the sidelines for several weeks due to a minor right hamstring strain he suffered against the Titans.
Tom Trbojevic. Getty
Trbojevic already spent seven weeks on the sidelines due to a left hamstring injury earlier this season - an injury that he also suffered in 2024 and 2025.
Given his history with hamstring concerns, questions have emerged around whether Trbojevic needs to move out of fullback to avoid cutting his career short.
Others have questioned how much longer Manly are willing to keep an injury-prone marquee talent on such a high salary if he is regularly on the sidelines.
Trbojevic is currently contracted through to the end of the 2027 season.
Gould understands how big of a hit injuries have on a team, not only on the field but off the field, and has to balance that equation himself as the Bulldogs general manager of football.
While he recognises that Trbojevic is taking up a large share of Manly’s salary cap with his roughly $900,00 a year pay cheque, Gould believes the club should stick with the fullback until he makes the call on his career himself.
“I wouldn’t be giving up on it right at the moment because when he does play, he’s really good,” Gould said on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus.
“It doesn’t look like he’s inconvenienced or even mentally inconvenienced by it.
“I’d certainly (stick with him) for another off-season and see whether or not (medics) can get it right for next year because when he’s good, he’s good.
“But he’s probably gonna have to make a call. I would hazard a guess, knowing the kind of brilliant bloke that he is, that it might get to a point where Tom sits down with the club and says ‘this is enough’.”
Trbojevic has openly offered to take a pay cut in the past due to how much time he has spent on the sidelines with injuries, but Gould reiterated pay cut offers are almost always blocked by the salary cap auditors.
Gould pointed to Sam McKendry’s retirement at the Panthers as an example of how hard it is to get salary cap relief, with the former Kiwi international suffering three anterior cruciate ligament injuries in as many seasons.
Gould was working as the general manager of football at Penrith at the time and found himself entangled in a debate with auditors over whether McKendry’s injury could be deemed career-ending.
Tom Trbojevic in action for the Sea Eagles. Getty
Auditors argued the injury was not career-ending as surgery could fix the issue, but the club was able to successfully argue that the career-ending incident happened when he first did his ACL, not the fourth time. Salary cap relief was granted to the Panthers and McKendry’s deal was paid out.
But unlike McKendry’s ACL injury, Gould fears a run of hamstring injuries will not be seen as being career-ending in the eyes of salary cap auditors.
“I don’t know any player who has retired because of repeated hamstring injuries,” he said.
“Maybe frustration has forced them to retire ... but a hamstring will not be seen as a career-ending injury unless Tom makes it so.”
Gould added: “The first question (for Manly to answer) is, can they get him healthy? Can he get healthy and can he get through a season without injury?
“He’s had nine in a short space of time. It seems like a constant repeat.
“There is a whole science behind (soft tissue injuries) and we’ve sent players off to experts, overseas ... I assume he has tried all of that and it hasn’t worked.”
Trobjevic will watch Manly from the sidelines this Sunday when they face the Sharks.
