‘It won’t happen’: Tom Trbojevic to centre? Not on Kieran Foran’s watch

Updated July 21, 2026 — 6:57pm,first published July 20, 2026 — 7:30pm

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Manly coach Kieran Foran says Tom Trbojevic will always remain his first-choice fullback and insists there are zero plans to move his superstar to the centres for the sake of preserving his hamstrings.

Trbojevic is eyeing a return in round 23 against Melbourne in Perth after picking up a low-grade hamstring strain against the Titans on Sunday.

It was Trbojevic’s ninth hamstring injury in eight seasons, and reignited the debate about whether the work required in the custodian role is taking too heavy a toll on Trbojevic’s body.

But Foran has put a swift end to that conversation, telling this masthead: “It won’t happen. When Tom Trbojevic is fully fit, I wouldn’t have any other fullback ahead of him. Nobody will ever convince me otherwise.

“He’s an out-and-out No.1. I know he can play centres at rep level, and he’s done a phenomenal job. But when you talk about No.1s and what they need to be like in the modern game, he epitomises everything an elite No. 1 should be.

“His decision-making and ball playing and execution and skill level is so elite. Then you think about his support play, his defensive try saves … I truly believe if you moved Tom Trbojevic to the centres, you’d be under-utilising one of the great footy minds of our generation.

Scans confirmed a low-grade hamstring strain for Manly ace Tom TrbojevicNRL

“That’s not taking anything away from the centre position. But while Tom Trbojevic is fit and healthy, he will always be fullback at this club.”

Now 29, Trbojevic has only played 20 or more NRL games in the past seven seasons just once. In 2021, when the competition relocated to Queensland during COVID, Trbojevic was in such rare form, he won the Dally M playing just 18 games.

Scans confirmed a low-grade strain, with Trbojevic set to return after next week’s bye round. Even though the clash against the Storm will include a ten-hour trip to the west coast for Trbojevic, Foran knows the importance of having their best player available for their finals’ assault.

Trbojevic is a free agent come November 1, but Foran said the run of injuries would do nothing to dampen the club’s enthusiasm to nail him down to a fresh deal – and a price tag that reflects his brilliance.

“We value Tommy enormously,” Foran said. “He’s our fullback, he’s our co-captain with his brother Jake, he’s a Manly boy through and through – he won’t be leaving this club. When the time is right, we’ll sit down and work out what the next few years looks like. But he won’t be going anywhere.”

Lehi Hopoate will wear the No.1 jersey against Cronulla on Sunday as the Sea Eagles try to end a three-game losing streak. Foran said Tolu Koula, who played fullback for NSW in the second half of Origin III after James Tedesco failed a concussion test, will remain in the centres, where “he offers a point of difference for us”.

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