Manly Sea Eagles have come under scrutiny for their handling of Tom Trbojevic’s contract negotiations, with former NRL star Chad Townsend describing the situation as “disrespectful”.
The fullback, whose current deal runs until the end of 2026, was reportedly led to believe a three-year extension was agreed, only for the Sea Eagles to revise the offer.
Asked about the future of the Trbojevic brothers on the Dead Set Legends podcast, Townsend opined: “They are staunch Manly boys, no doubt. But this whole situation has been a debacle. Tom’s put his hand up and said, ‘I love the club, I’ll do whatever it takes to stay.’ Yet the Manly administration has reneged twice on that deal — they’ve done him dirty.”
“He’s one of the greats of that club, and for them to treat him like that is really unfair. It’s disrespectful. They’re using his loyalty against him.”
Host Josh Mansour added, “Exactly. He loves the Northern Beaches and doesn’t want to play for another team. But when you hear about the handshake deal being reneged on, and the club now saying, ‘We don’t think you’re worth that much anymore,’ it’s just sad. It’s hard to imagine Tommy in another jersey, but maybe it’s time for him to consider a new opportunity.”
A deal gone awry
The confusion stems from a proposed three-year deal reportedly worth $2.5 million, including ratchet clauses designed to increase Trbojevic’s salary in line with the NRL’s broadcast agreements. His camp initially understood the clauses would be on top of an $850,000 starting figure, but the board countered with a revised offer, citing budget constraints.
Townsend later speculated: “The Melbourne Storm have just freed up $850k in their cap. Could we see Tom Trbojevic in a Storm jersey?” He added: “Well, Ryan Papenhuyzen posted a bit of a cryptic message on Instagram this week. Not sure what his future holds — he’s been linked with R360 as well. But could Tommy really go from Manly to Melbourne, given the history between those clubs?”
Despite the drama, Trbojevic’s agent has reassured fans that the fullback intends to stay, emphasising that this remains a negotiation rather than a transfer saga.