Manly Sea Eagles, veteran Jake Trbojevic has broken his silence on the sacking of Anthony Seibold, revealing the “shock” reaction among the playing group.
Trbojevic addressed the decision for the first time since Seibold became the fifth coach to be sacked under owner Scott Penn,
Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
The sacking led to reports of a rift between Seibold and the veteran forward.
Veteran journalist Ben Dobbin reported on on Triple M that the veteran forward had a fractured relationship with his former coach, citing a lack of communication between the pair.
Trbojevic, however, stated he had “empathy” towards his former coach.
“When a coach gets moved on in particular mid-season its a bit of shock around the group, a bit of uncertainty,” Trbojevic said on NRL 360.
“Obviously, you’ve got a little bit of empathy as well. The way you look at it from the club’s perspective, the way we’ve performed in the first three games has been very disappointing.
“Three games at home (too), it’s pretty hard to take from such a proud club so they obviously had to make a tough decision and we’re all behind Foz.
“A champion player for our club and a life member so we’re all going to get behind him and support him and hopefully we can turn this around.”
Jurbo backs Foran to save Manly season | 01:12
Kieran Foran has been named to replace Seibold on an interim basis, while Matt Ballin and Michael Ennis headline the candidates for the head coaching job for the 2027 season.
Having previously played alongside Foran at the club, Trbojevic said the playing group will try to implement his “passion” as they look to record their first win of the season this week against the Dolphins on Thursday evening.
“I think I speak for a lot of people when I say he’s one of the greatest players to play alongside,” he added.
“Just the way he goes after the game, he’s passion and he brings that to Manly.
“He knows the club, so if we can take any of his passion and competitiveness into our squad, it’s hopefully going to help us turn this around.”
Foran’s first Sea Eagles team named! | 01:59
Meanwhile, he also discussed last week’s match, which saw him go up against former teammate Daly Cherry-Evans for the first time in his career.
Unfortunately, they succumbed to defeat in front of a red-hot, rowdy crowd at 4 Pines Park.
“It was funny. Every time he got the ball, they booed. The crowd was just into him,” he added.
“They were relentless the whole night; it was actually funny.
“ I think for someone who has played 352 games for our club it was a bit daunting but obviously he’s great professional and kicked us off the park.
“The whole spectacle was good fun from the crowd.”