Wait-and-see: Manly to give Trbojevic new deal ⁠– if he actually wants to play on

There’s a one-year extension waiting for Jake Trbojevic to sign with the Manly Sea Eagles, should he want to play on, though for now the veteran forward is taking a “wait-and-see” approach to his future in the game.

Trbojevic has been in and out of the Manly side for the last 18 months, suffering three concussions through 2025 before missing games early in 2026 thanks to another shock mid-game head knock.

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The Sea Eagles had been eager to extend “Jurbo” through to at least the end of 2027, which would have added a single year to his seven-year deal. At this stage, it’s up to Jake whether he actually wants to play on. There are growing whispers he may pack it in at the end of the season, with fears around what concussions may be doing to him long-term chief among the reasons.

He’s already started wearing a special helmet to avoid knocks.

“I just want to see how I go,” Trbojevic told AAP recently. “I did a lot of work in the pre-season, and a lot of contact. Last year was a bit disappointing with how it all went. Obviously, just getting knocked out every second week was disappointing.

“So I want to see how I go, and I want it to work for both parties… I was always going to play this year, so it doesn’t change anything.”

Maybe the only thing that will sway Jake to take up the deal would be that he could overtake Cliff Lyons and Steve Menzies in matches for the Sea Eagles. Should he avoid too many injuries or head knocks, he could finish as one of the top three all-time.

On the other side, Jake has also continuously spoken about how the idea of life after football is “scary.”

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The 32-year-old has been in the Manly system since under-12s, and made his NRL debut with the Sea Eagles in 2013. Since then, he’s gone on to play 243 games for the northern Sydney club and made a further 31 appearances for the Kangaroos and New South Wales Blues. (Though quite recently, some have suggested the game has now passed him by.)

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Jake’s brother Tom is staying at the club until at least next season, which may play some role in his decision. “Turbo” will be free to speak to other NRL clubs again in November, though it’s unlikely he will join any Manly rivals.

Instead, if Tom were to leave, he would likely travel to the English Super League to finish his career.