True Blue Tom Trbojevic will incorporate some new drills and exercises into his training as he eyes a return date of Saturday 4 March – Round One of the NRL – from a hamstring injury.
The 26-year-old has returned from a two-week visit to world-renowned conditioning specialist Bill Knowles in Philadelphia in his quest to be back on the field for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles for their opening season game against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Fellow NSW squad members Latrell Mitchell and Ryan Papenhuyzen have also worked with Knowles.
Trbojevic, who only played seven games in 2022 and missed the entire Ampol State of Origin series with a shoulder injury, is confident the lessons he learned in 20 sessions in the US will put his injury woes behind him.
“You go through the drills and he shows you what you’re doing wrong and the way forward,” Trboejvic said.
“The way he does that is that he shows you reasons behind everything you’re doing. It gives you a better understanding of why you need to do it and why you need to get strong and good at it.
“It’s not an overnight fix – it’s a long-term process and you need to stick to it.”
Manly’s chief physio Andrew Lowndes accompanied Trbojevic to Philadelphia and will incorporate elements into the fullback’s daily schedules.
“Preparation is really key and how you structure a week,” Trbojevic said.
“There’s areas around training that I need to do better.”
The player who has scored 78 tries in 121 games for the Sea Eagles – and nine tries in eight games for the Westpac NSW Blues – wants to get back to football as soon as he can.
“I’m definitely on track to play in Round One,” Trbojevic said.
“Every time you come back from an injury you feel good but certainly this (trip) has given me a lot of confidence. And having something to work on, that’s a bit different, definitely helps me mentally as well.
“I feel really good, and I’ve decided to get back into joining the team (at training).”
It was initially billed as a six-week injury and Trbojevic is now into his seventh week of rehab.
