Manly set to welcome back superstar in new position

The Manly Sea Eagles have revealed that injury prone superstar Tom Trbojevic will make the switch to centre when he returns to the field.

Trbojevic suffered a hamstring injury during Manly’s Round 10 loss to the Dolphins and is expected to make his long awaited comeback on Saturday against the Cowboys.

The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis told SEN that the decision to move him from fullback is a ploy from Manly coach Anthony Seibold to preserve his star player ahead of an assault on the finals.

“I had a chat with Tom Trbojevic and Anthony Seibold over the weekend (and) he’s going to line up at centre,” Carayannis said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“Anthony was quite meticulous in his preparation for this return.

“They have crunched the data, have looked at the high acceleration of the fullback role and had a look at Tom’s role at centre during State of Origin games.

“They also had a physiotherapist from the UK flown out in the last few weeks to work with Tom and it’s all about getting him back on the park.

“Seibold has been quite deliberate by saying that this is not going to be a permanent switch.

“In the short-term, when they face the Cowboys, he’ll be at centre.”

Trbojevic has been without luck in the past few seasons after six hamstring tears including three on either leg.

SEN’s Greg Alexander agreed with Seibold’s approach in trying something different in order to return Manly’s best player to the park.

“They have to try something a bit different and mix things up,” Alexander said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“In the centers, Tom can still make a massive impact.”

Carayannis added: “It’s about getting Tom back to doing the things he does best in a game.

“I’d be shocked if he stays on one side of the field. They want to minimise the unnecessary kilometres that he’s putting in his legs (at fullback).”

Manly are currently sitting in ninth on the NRL ladder and will be desperate for a win when they travel to Townsville to take on the Cowboys on Saturday night.