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Manly CEO Tony Mestrov is adamant the Trbojevic brothers will not follow Des Hasler out of the embattled NRL club, and insists Tom and Jake will see out the final four years of their contracts.
Superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic met with his management on Friday morning over Zoom, as he continued to digest the news Hasler had been shown the door 24 hours earlier by owner Scott Penn and the board.
No request for a release has been made by the pair’s management, but their agent Paul Sutton has made no secret of their frustration over the Sea Eagles’ plight.
If there was to be any hint of an agitation to exit, the pair would likely command big money from rival clubs as two of the game’s premier talents.
But Mestrov has moved quickly to dispel any suggestion either of the brothers will exit Brookvale, after speaking with them on Thursday after Hasler was sacked.
Jake and Tom Trbojevic. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
“It has been a tough period for everyone at the club over the past few days,” Mestrov told AAP. “But Tom and Jake are the heartbeat of this club, as well as being the future of the club.
“They are both signed to the club until 2026 and going nowhere.”
Manly’s management are heavily reliant on the pair staying. Both are considered Sea Eagles through-and-through after growing up on the northern beaches, and Tom in particular is a fan favourite.
He won last year’s Dally M Medal as he took Manly back into the top four, before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in May of this year.
On numbers alone, Manly go from a 70 per cent winning record with him on the park in the past four years under Hasler compared to 34 per cent without him.
He has produced his best football under Hasler in recent years, and he and brother Jake share the same management company as the sacked coach.
Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans was also close with Hasler and signed a two-year extension earlier this year. He and Jake Trbojevic are currently in England on Rugby League World Cup duties.
The duo are among nine Sea Eagles overseas for the tournament, which is set to kick off on Saturday night.
It is highly likely they will be left to answer questions from touring media throughout the tournament.
Manly opted against holding a press conference on Friday, as they continue to work through the financial payout for Hasler.
The veteran coach still had one year left to run on his contract, after being denied an automatic extension into 2024 when Manly’s season fell apart following the pride jersey saga.
Anthony Seibold is yet to be officially appointed as the club’s new head coach, needing to sever his ties as an assistant with England’s national rugby team before taking up the job.
When he returns to Australia he will face a battle to unite the fractured Sea Eagles, with pre-season training set to start in little more than two weeks.
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