Head coach Des Hasler was recently fired by the club which sparked rumours that the Trbojevic brothers were unhappy with Manly’s current situation and considering asking for their release.

Both brothers are contracted to the Sea Eagles until the end of 2026 on a lucrative deal so for Manly to lose them would not only mean weakening an already bottom-eight squad but likely being forced to pay the Trbojevics to play elsewhere.

Jake Trbojevic is currently in England with the Australian squad who are set to face Lebanon in the Rugby League World Cup quarter-finals but the forward still took the time to speak to The Sydney Morning Herald’s Dan Walsh about the current events unfolding in Manly.

“We love Manly and grew up in Manly and have another four years on our contracts with Manly,” said Trbojevic.
“It’s definitely hard at times seeing your loyalty get questioned when we’ve worked really hard and we want Manly to do well.

“We’re two pretty passionate guys and that’s pretty tough.

“Obviously, the last seven games were frustrating.

“I think that’s frustrating for anyone – we’re in the (finals) mix there and we dropped the last seven.”

Manly’s Jake Trbojevic says he and star sibling Tom are committed to lifting the Sea Eagles out of their malaise and that the club must move on from the pride jersey saga that set Des Hasler’s sacking in motion.https://t.co/exPhiEdbSW

— SMH Sport (@SMHsport) October 31, 2022

The 28-year-old then went on to address the now infamous pride jersey saga of round 20 last season.

“I’m not religious, but like I’ve already said, I didn’t understand it until we talked to them,” stated Trbojevic.
“They have their view and I was fine with it.

“I understand their biggest thing is religion, my biggest thing is footy.

“The fact that we lost seven [games] after has made people keep talking about it.

“Why are we going to dwell on it and let one game affect us moving forward?”

Some may believe that this is the wrong time for Sea Eagles players to be speaking publicly but the fact that Trbojevic has reassured fans that he and his brother Tom will be remaining at the club will provide some much-needed stability during this trying time.

However, Manly will be unable to properly start preparing for next season until they sign a permanent head coach.