Darren Lockyer detail called out amid plan to replace Daly Cherry-Evans with Tom Trbojevic

NRL great Scott Sattler believes Tom Trbojevic can follow in the footsteps of league legend Darren Lockyer by transitioning from fullback to five-eighth. Manly are reportedly considering playing the 28-year-old alongside Luke Brooks in the halves when Daly Cherry-Evans calls time on his career, which could come as soon as the end of 2025.

The Manly skipper is undecided about whether he will play on in 2026, informing Sea Eagles management that he wants to see how next season goes before making a definitive call on his future. But behind the scenes, Manly are preparing for life after DCE and are understood to be strongly considering moving Trbojevic to the halves so young star Lehi Hopoate can play fullback.

And Sattler thinks Trbojevic can succeed as a half and follow the blueprint Lockyer set out. "I can see Tom Trbojevic imitating Darren Lockyer," Sattler said on SEN on Tuesday. "If DCE retires, I can see Trbojevic moving to five-eighth and Lehi Hopoate into fullback!"

"A lot of people said that (it wouldn't work) about Darren Lockyer and he won the Golden Boot in two positions. People said it would be a mistake for Darren Lockyer but he became the best two-position player in history. The best two-position player we have ever seen. To go from fullback to five-eighth and win a golden boot, win a comp as both fullback and five-eighth."

Despite believing Trbojevic could seamlessly transition into the halves alongside Brooks, Sattler still thinks it wouldn't be the right move given the fact he would lose a lot of the unpredictability that has made him one of the most feared players in the NRL. "If Tom Trbojevic went to five-eighth he'd do a great job. But he loses that unpredictability," Sattler said.

"I found the hardest thing about playing Locky when he was at fullback is you wouldn't know where he was going to pop up. At least when he was at five-eighth you'd know where he was going to be and you could drag another defender over to help you. If Tommy Trbojevic was at six it would take a bit away from his ability to roam."

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Manly put faith in Anthony Seibold to break premiership drought

Meanwhile, the Sea Eagles have put their faith in Anthony Seibold to lead the club to an elusive premiership by locking him in as coach until the end of 2027. Seibold has been in charge of Manly for only two seasons and took them back to the finals in 2024 after a three-year absence.

“I think everyone has clearly seen the improvement in the playing group over the last 24 months. We have had year-upon-year gains on both sides of the footy,’’ Seibold said in a statement on Tuesday. “To have my contract extended out for another couple of years is something that I was really keen to do. I have enjoyed my coaching immensely since I came here two years ago.

“Ultimately, our mission is to win a premiership, but underneath that our values in and around effort, in and around reliability, being curious and being authentic is something that drives me every single day as a coach. We want to make the community, our members and supporters proud to follow our club and inspire the next generation of Sea Eagles players and supporters.”

The deal will make Seibold’s tenure the longest at Manly since Des Hasler’s first stint between 2004 and 2011 which included premiership success. Club chief executive Tony Mestrov said Seibold had driven the “Manly way” since taking over.

“Under Anthony, we made the finals for the first time since 2021. We can build on this and Anthony is the right person for us to do that,” he said. “The hard work Anthony has done with the players and the staff, from both a playing perspective to the strong culture he has established here over the past two years, has been outstanding. He has really driven the ‘Manly way’, which has become really powerful, and you can see the excitement and passion within our community again.”

with newswire