NRL blocks $750k Tom Trbojevic move as details emerge of staggering Manly salary cap plan

The NRL has denied Manly's request to cut Tom Trbojevic's salary by a whopping $750,000 across the next two seasons, stating it would set a dangerous precedent. According to the SMH’s Michael Chammas, the superstar fullback approached the Sea Eagles board about taking a massive pay cut so the club could sign rival talent to boost Manly's chances of breaking their premiership drought.

The injury-riddled Trbojevic reportedly approached the Sea Eagles board and proposed that he forego a portion of his $1.1 million annual salary, due to him playing less than 30 games since the start of the 2022 season. The 2021 Dally M winner - who has struggled with hamstring injuries throughout his career - is on track this year to play the most games he has in a campaign since 2018 despite missing almost two months with a hamstring issue.

If Trbojevic remains fit and plays the final two games of the regular season against the Bulldogs and Sharks, he will have featured in 19 NRL games in 2024. That number, barring injury, would then at least grow to 20 as Manly are assured of a top-eight finish.

But Trbojevic reportedly feels guilty that he has taken up such a slice of the Sea Eagles' salary cap space in recent years and wants to cut his pay packet, with the extra funds to go towards boosting underpaid players' salaries and also helping to lure rival talent to the club. But the NRL shut down the Sea Eagles’ proposal, believing it could set a dangerous precedent. Speaking on Monday night’s NRL 360, The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield said Sea Eagles CEO Tony Mestrov insisted it was entirely Trbojevic's idea and wasn't in any way prompted by the club.

“We spoke to Tony Mestrov before the show. Turbo’s had a number of serious injuries in recent years so he went to the club and said ‘You’re paying me all this money, I feel so bad about it’ and very selflessly has offered to give up $350,000 a year off the cap,” Rothfield said.

Braith Anasta questions if it was entirely Tom Trbojevic's decision

But Braith Anasta found it hard to believe Trbojevic would have approached the club out of nowhere and unprompted. “Are you sure? I don’t hear too many players walking into head office,” Anasta said.

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However, The Australian’s Brent Read revealed similar situations have happened with high-profile stars before. “I think Nathan Cleary offered to do this a few years ago when he was about to do a new deal at Penrith. He said ‘Give me less money the last couple of years of my current deal so we can keep some other players,’” Read said. “It has happened before.”

The SMH reports that the main reason behind Trbojevic pushing for reduced pay is his thought that if he is to permanently shift to the centres, to preserve his body given his lengthy injury history, he should earn less money. As centres are generally paid far less than fullbacks in the NRL marketplace, Trbojevic made the point of saying if he were to make that switch, he should be paid more like a centre rather than earning 'fullback money'.