Manly veteran Jake Trbojevic says his intention is to play on next season, but he insists he wants to make a decision that\u2019s best for him and the club and he doesn\u2019t want to be a \u201cburden\u201d for the team he loves so dearly.<\/p>\n
Trbojevic, 32, has an option in his favour to play on in 2027 and says he\u2019s \u201cdefinitely\u201d leaning towards going around for one more year after a solid month of footy under interim coach Kieran Foran.<\/p>\n
The former NSW skipper made his NRL debut back in 2013 and has dealt with a series of head knocks over the years that left people wondering whether he would continue playing.<\/p>\n
Trbojevic had a slow start to the year \u2013 as did many of his Manly teammates \u2013 but he\u2019s run the ball more under Foran and is likely to activate the deal for 2027. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a really enjoyable month. Having Foz (Foran) take over has been a breath of fresh air, and the month of footy we\u2019ve put together makes life a lot easier,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last few weeks have definitely made things a lot easier. I just want to make a good decision for both me and the club. I don\u2019t want to be a burden. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re obviously always having a chat, and there\u2019s great respect between both parties, so it won\u2019t be far away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tom Trbojevic says criticism of his brother earlier in the year was over the top, with the injured fullback keen to see Jake go around for one more year.<\/p>\n
The veteran lock remains a key member of the Sea Eagles squad, with his influence on the team off the field equally as valuable as what he does on the field. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s definitely playing some of his best footy and really enjoying himself, so definitely (I want to see him play on),\u201d Tom said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought everyone copped a bit of criticism (at the start of the year), but I don\u2019t think he was playing as badly as everyone was saying. We know what he\u2019s capable of, and I guess it\u2019s great that he\u2019s showing everyone that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Sea Eagles will find out exactly how far they\u2019ve come under Foran when they face the ladder-leading Panthers on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
Manly has won four on the trot under their caretaker coach but this will be their toughest test.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny time you play Penrith, it\u2019s going to be a tough challenge,\u201d Jake said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice that we come in with a good bit of form because it gives you a bit of confidence. But we know it\u2019s going to be a very hard test. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who goes up against Penrith knows they\u2019ve been the best side for the last five or six years. It\u2019s a great challenge for us to see where we\u2019re at. I\u2019m just happy with our progression; we\u2019ve continually gotten better and better. <\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, we can just go out and compete with them. I\u2019m not going to talk about an end result, I just hope we can compete for a good amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n