“Seibs understands this as well as I do, it’s all about winning games. Seibs is safe at this point.”
Sources told this masthead that Lachlan Croker and Jason Saab could spend time in NSW Cup this week despite Manly having the bye.
Anthony Seibold with Daly Cherry-Evans.Credit: NRL Imagery
The major talking point out of Seibold’s meetings is the expected shift of Tom Trbojevic from fullback to centre to accommodate the return of Lehi Hopoate, who missed the loss against the Gold Coast Titans after picking up a concussion the previous week.
“As a club we know the last two losses have been unacceptable,” Mestrov said.
“As a club we’re going to turn this around. We have a bye this week and two games at home. There’s no better way to get the season back on track against the Tigers and Souths. We’ve just got to do better. It’s as simple as that. We’re all in this together as a club.”
Mestrov admitted he had met with Seibold but insisted it was nothing out of the ordinary. Mestrov’s contract with Manly was recently extended through to the end of 2027 but is believed to include a six-month pay-out.
Anthony Seibold and Tony Mestrov.Credit: SMH
“We chat after every game,” Mestrov said.
“There’s no crisis meeting or anything like that. We just spoke about how we can turn it around. I felt like I could give advice and he could give me advice. We’ve got a good relationship. As a club we’ve got to turn it around. It was constructive conversation about how we can turn our season around.”
Manly last month begun conversations with the management of Jake and Tom Trbojevic about extending their respective careers on the Northern Beaches before they hit the open market on November 1.
The brothers are contracted until the end of 2026, but Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov has personally opened talks with their manager to begin working on a deal to keep both as one-club players.
Young gun Hopoate, who recently extended his Manly deal until the end of 2027, is seen as the long-term successor to Tom at fullback having impressed in Tom’s absence due to injury.
A move to five-eighth for Tom was previously touted, but the arrival of Jamal Fogarty next season has placed a question mark over such a shift given the Sea Eagles also have Luke Brooks on their books. The decision to move Trbojevic to centre will only further add to Manly’s conundrum on what he is worth and how long to extend him for.
Loading
Tom is in no rush to decide his future, nor does he want Manly to feel obliged to make him an offer as a mark of respect for what he has done for the club.
Trbojevic does not want to play against Manly and has told those close to him he would be open to a move to the Super League in 2027 if it was in the Sea Eagles’ best interest for him to leave the club.
