Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues centre Tom Trbojevic is going to use the same formula in 2022 that he used to help set up a glorious 2021 season – a self-imposed alcohol ban.
The player who seemed to do everything last year – tries, metres, tackle-busts, line-breaks, try-assists – also won everything: the Dally M Medal, the RLPA’s Players Champion, the Wally Lewis Medal, and the Manly Sea Eagles Player of the Year.
The 28 tries in 18 NRL games, or the four tries in three Origins, may not be repeated in the one season too often.
But Trbojevic is giving himself every chance of some kind of repeat performance by declaring he won’t be drinking throughout the football year.
“I decided to do it last year and didn’t know what the outcome of it would be,” Trbojevic told Nine News.
“I guess I got through the year playing some good footy so it helped physically.
“Now mentally it’s kind of a thing that I’ve learned I’ve got to do to be the best player I can be.”
He’s doing a pretty good job to date by scoring 76 tries in 114 games for Manly over the past seven years. He’s scored nine tries in eight Origin games across three years.
The 25-year-old still has five years to run on his current contract with the Sea Eagles (end of 2026).
“I think you’ve always got to find ways you need to improve. You can never be happy with what you’ve done – you always want to get better,” Trbojevic said.
