Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler has admitted Tom Trbojevic is expected to miss the opening State of Origin match but he holds the star Manly fullback in such high regard that he will give him every chance to prove his fitness.
Trbojevic is expected to be sidelined for the next six to nine weeks after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring problem during the Sea Eagles win over South Sydney at Lottoland on Saturday.
The Manly No.1 first suffered the injury in a trial match against Cronulla but made a dynamic return against the Warriors in round three after scoring two tries and setting up two others.
A best-case scenario would see Trbojevic return for the round leading up to the Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues team being picked while a worse-case scenario would see him not back on deck until after the opening game of the series at Suncorp Stadium has been played on June 5.
“It sucks big time,” Fittler told nswrl.com.au
“The injury is a bit higher and a bit worse than it was before so there’s a good chance he will be unavailable for Game One.
“We think so highly of him that he’ll be given every chance but as of now he’s most probably out of the team and we’ll leave it up to him to declare his fitness.”
Trbojevic was one of the Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues best players last season and was recognised for his performances after taking out the True Blue award for displaying qualities on which the team ethos is built.
If he is unavailable Fittler would have a number of options available to him including wingers Nick Cotric, Blake Ferguson, Josh Mansour and Campbell Graham, and centres Curtis Scott, Jesse Ramien, Jack Bird and Waqa Blake.
