Shuffle Theory: Debating the Impact on Injury Risks in Trbojevic's Position Change

The theory that Tom Trbojevic Would sustain fewer injuries when playing as five-eighth, according to renowned sports physiotherapist Brien Sweeney.

Sweeney, renowned as The NRL Physio On various social media platforms, and has been offering NRL followers received updates on players for years via his channels, decided to SEN Radio On Sunday, it was disclosed that moving Trbojevic to the five-eighth position would only increase his likelihood of sustaining additional injuries.

The proposal has emerged following the exit of Daly Cherry-Evans was confirmed at the end of 2025.

With the veteran halfback moving on, and there being no guarantee that youngster Joey Walsh will be ready for the rigours of first-grade, the move floated would see Luke Brooks return to halfback - a position he previously had as Wests Tigers After a decade of unsuccessful attempts, they were finally joined by Trbojevic at the five-eighth position.

Sweeney acknowledged that Trbojevic would face fewer hamstring injury concerns with reduced running duties, yet he pointed out that increased tackling might result in new contact-related problems. He also noted that this change could expose him to risks of other soft-tissue injuries, considering Trbojevic’s past struggles with various types of injuries beyond just hamstrings.

"I’d say generally speaking, his overall injury risk likely remains about the same," Sweeney disclosed. SEN Radio .

At fullback, you accumulate more running meters... so you're looking at potentially straining your hamstring again.

(Shifting to the five-eighth position increases the likelihood of soft tissue strains... although one could contend that there might be a somewhat reduced chance of suffering a hamstring injury, this change introduces different types of injury risks.

“He's all of a sudden got to make anywhere from 20 to 40 tackles in a game which he wasn't doing before so contact injuries increase.

He has a past involving multiple shoulder surgeries, torn pectoral muscles... He’s also sidelined due to MCL injuries at present. So all these types of contact-related injuries tend to escalate when you experience greater impact.

Trbojevic has also been experimented with as a center, however, it's thought that the coach Anthony Seibold has no plans to keep him there indefinitely.

In either case, the likelihood of the current top player taking on the fullback role next year is decreasing, as Manly is now considering alternatives. Lehi Hopoate As their goalkeeper going ahead.

Jamal Fogarty and Adam Reynolds Manly has identified them as top priorities for replacing their halfback role; however, it’s uncertain whether they will manage to secure either player.

Reynolds might not be dedicated to participating next year and could likely remain in Brisbane, while Jamal Fogarty is currently in talks with the Canberra Raiders about how his future appears.

Manly won’t face any salary cap problems when trying to bring in one of the pair, considering Cherry-Evans earns over a million dollars each season. However, it’s unclear how Seibold plans to reshape his team after Cherry-Evans leaves.