Why Sea Eagles don't need to rush Turbo back
Teammates are confident Lehi Hopoate can thrive at fullback again on Thursday night if Tom Trbojevic is ruled out of Manly's trip to Newcastle to take on the desperate Knights.
Trbojevic missed the terrific win over Brisbane after he aggravated a corked thigh in the loss to Parramatta last month.
Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold said his superstar fullback would play if Manly's game was on Sunday, but the short turnaround could mean he is rested to ensure he's fully fit when he returns.
Trbojevic didn't train with the team at Monday's session in Brookvale but was spotted in the gym, with the club's medical staff expected to give him up to the captain's run on Wednesday to determine whether he's fit enough to play.
In better news, Jake Trbojevic trained freely on Monday after missing the past two matches while in concussion protocols, with the Sea Eagles backing Hopoate to star again at the back if he's asked to play there.
The young gun has done a tremendous job when he's moved from left wing to fullback but he saved his best for Saturday night with 224m, five tackle busts, two try assists and a line break with his first carry when he charged through Payne Haas in the opening set.
'He really set the tone in his first carry of the game when he poked his nose through,' five-eighth Luke Brooks said.
'Wherever he plays, he always does the job for the team and he's playing outstanding footy.
'For such a young bloke to be able to do that every week means he's a special player.
'He's a great fullback, so whenever Tom's out, he just slots in there really well. I think he's getting better and better every week.'
Meanwhile, Dragons back-rower Jaydn Su'A will miss Friday's trip to take on the Dolphins after the club confirmed he suffered a low-grade syndesmosis injury to his left ankle during the win over Newcastle.
Su'A battled on bravely for 20 minutes and scored a try before he eventually came off, with the injury likely to rule him out of contention for an Origin recall.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool's secret WEAPON in unlocking deals for Isak and Gordon
Liverpool's summer transfer plans could end up being seriously entwined with those of Newcastle United. First off, the Reds are known to be interested in Alexander Isak. The 25-year-old forward hit 23 goals for the Magpies in the Premier League last season. That helped propel the North East club back to the Champions League and establish Isak as one of the finest strikers around. Advertisement He is in many ways the dream forward for Arne Slot but it is not going to be easy to arrange a transfer. Newcastle would want over £120m for the Swede, who is out of contract in 2028. And Liverpool have also got their eye on the £75m-rated winger Anthony Gordon. The club were close to doing a deal for the England international last summer but the move hit a last-minute hitch owing to Newcastle requesting Jarell Quansah to be part of the deal. Liverpool looking at Newcastle for Isak and Gordon 24-year-old Gordon is well-known to several Liverpool squad members from England duty and last summer was reported to be keen on a return to Merseyside. And Newcastle have got a few Liverpool players in their sights. Advertisement It will be too late to add Quansah - with the defender now close to Bayer Leverkusen - but there are others in the squad they have been looking at. Diogo Jota is now reported to be of interest to the Geordies, with the Reds willing to cash in on their Portuguese talisman. Harvey Elliott's name has come up, meanwhile, as a potential Magpies target. Then there's Joe Gomez. The long-serving defender could be available for the right price this summer and if the right offer appeals to him. But Newcastle are in some off-field turmoil currently, which could make negotiations difficult. Paul Mitchell has just stood down from his post as sporting director, according to a new report in the Daily Mail. Advertisement The club are now setting about interviewing various candidates for the prestigious role and there is a very familiar name among the potential appointments. © IMAGO Julian Ward on Newcastle's wishlist 'Newcastle sporting director Paul Mitchell has stood down from his sporting director role with immediate effect - and Andy Howe has been asked to step up to work alongside head of recruitment Steve Nickson,' a report reads. 'Nottingham Forest chief Ross Wilson is among the candidates and former Arsenal assistant sporting director Jason Ayto will be spoken to by Nolan [recruiters]. We can also reveal that Julian Ward, Liverpool's technical director, is another name in the frame.' Advertisement Julian Ward first joined Liverpool back in 2012 after leaving Manchester City. He became European scouting manager for Spain and Portugal before a promotion to loan pathways and partnership manager. He was anointed as assistant sporting director to Michael Edwards in 2020 before taking on the sporting director role in 2022. Ward walked away from the club a year later but was convinced to return as technical director when Edwards rejoined FSG as CEO of Football. He now has a broad remit across FSG, including player development as well as the academy and loans.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool target Marc Guéhi prepared to see out final year of Crystal Palace contract
Marc Guéhi will not be rushed into a decision on his future and is prepared to see out the final year of his contract at Crystal Palace if the right move does not materialise this summer. Palace are looking to cash in on the England defender, who is a target for Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham, but there is a possibility of the club losing one of their biggest assets on a free transfer next year. Guéhi, who has no intention of signing an extension, remains open-minded about his next destination and a big consideration for the 24-year-old is making sure he has plenty of playing time next season. Advertisement Related: Men's transfer window summer 2025: all deals from Europe's top five leagues The former Chelsea centre-back, who played an integral role in Palace winning the FA Cup, needs to safeguard his place in the England squad before the 2026 World Cup. That means there is an obvious benefit in joining a club who can offer Guéhi a quick route into their starting XI. Liverpool have emerged as strong contenders to sign Guéhi and could bid for him once they sell Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £30m. A potential stumbling block, however, is that Liverpool still have the outstanding duo of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté as their first-choice pairing in central defence. Van Dijk, 33, has extended his contract with the Premier League champions and is showing no sign of slowing down. The sale of Quansah will leave Liverpool short of defensive cover. The 22-year-old centre-back made 25 appearances for Arne Slot's last season and can also play at right-back. Konaté is entering the final year of his deal and has struggled with injuries at times. Joe Gomez, another of Liverpool's defensive options, has been out since February with a hamstring injury. Advertisement Guéhi will face a big decision if Liverpool follow up their interest in him by offering enough for Palace to sell. A chance to join the best team in England and work with Slot would be hard to turn down. At the same time there are indications that clubs who can immediately guarantee him regular football retain a good chance of signing him. Newcastle tried to buy Guéhi last summer, only to be put off by Palace's asking price of around £70m, and they remain in the mix after qualifying for the Champions League. Their current options at centre-back include three players in their 30s – Dan Burn, Fabian Schär and Jamaal Lascelles – and the 25-year-old Sven Botman, who missed much of last season through injury. Spurs will also be in the market for a new defensive partner for Micky van de Ven if they sell Cristian Romero, who has been targeted by Atlético Madrid. Spurs, who have qualified for the Champions League, had an offer of £55m plus £15m in add-ons rejected in January. There seems little prospect of Chelsea following up preliminary interest in Guéhi. Guéhi staying at Palace for another year before leaving for nothing has not been ruled out. He can speak to foreign clubs about signing a pre-contract from January. For Palace, there is a question of making sure their demands remain realistic this summer. Interested clubs are unlikely to want to overpay for a player who is entering the final year of his contract.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Four-try Johnston closes on record but Storm pip Souths
Alex Johnston is on track to break the NRL's try-scoring record this season but his four tries were not enough to prevent Ryan Papenhuyzen icing Melbourne's extra-time defeat of South Sydney. Fullback Papenhuyzen sealed the Storm's 25-24 win with his second attempt at field goal in the 84th minute, booting the ball over from 20 metres out at Accor Stadium on Saturday night. Latrell Mitchell had done his utmost to seal a Souths victory on return from State of Origin duty, including kicking to Tyrone Munro for the try that equalised the game with only four minutes to play. But he missed a potentially game-winning sideline conversion thereafter before his only field goal attempt sailed wide from 45 metres out. An error-prone Storm moved to extra time, sealing victory and jumping the Warriors into third spot on the ladder. Mitchell threw cut-out passes down the left side for Johnston's 203rd, 204th and 205th career tries. Johnston then intercepted a Jahrome Hughes pass for his fourth try of the night, moving only six behind the benchmark of 212 that Ken Irvine set in 1973. JOHNSTON HAS 4! 📣 #NRLSouthsStorm — NRL (@NRL) June 21, 2025 The winger's hopes of reaching the record appeared in doubt when the 30-year-old went down with a serious Achilles injury late last season. But he has since scored 11 tries in seven games this year, and with nine more to play in the regular season, is well on track to reach 213 by finals. He also became the first player to score four or more tries in a game against Melbourne since the perennially-successful Storm entered the competition in 1998. The loss is Wayne Bennett's 15th in a row against rival coach Craig Bellamy and came in the pair's record-breaking 44th time coaching against one another. Bennett has not beaten his former protege in any match since 2016, with Souths now in the midst of a four-game losing streak that ensures they will finish the weekend second-last on the ladder. The Storm scored in back-to-back sets to lead 12-0 after six minutes but Bellamy would have been furious that the Storm invited Souths back in with errors. The attacking powerhouse managed only a 68 per cent completion rate in the first half. Melbourne looked ready to break their hosts' hearts as Sua Fa'alogo fielded a Mitchell bomb on the 20-metre line to put Tyran Wishart in. The Rabbitohs equalised when Mitchell dared to kick a long grubber through the line for Munro from 30 metres out on the third tackle. But it was Papenhuyzen who had the last laugh.
