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Teddy's NRL No.1 not my brother: Trbojevic

3 minute read

Manly star Jake Trbojevic says his brother Tom is not the best fullback in the NRL, that title belongs to Roosters' No.1 James Tedesco.

JAKE TRBOJEVIC of Australia is tackled during the 2017 Rugby League World Cup match between the Australian Kangaroos and England at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia.
JAKE TRBOJEVIC of Australia is tackled during the 2017 Rugby League World Cup match between the Australian Kangaroos and England at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Tom Trbojevic had critics speculating whether he's the NRL's best fullback after his stunning performance on Sunday, but his own brother has brought him crashing back to earth.

The Manly star scored two tries and had three assists, 151 run metres, five tackle busts, two linebreaks, and three linebreak assists as he dominated his team's 32-6 win over Canterbury.

However Jake Trbojevic, a teammate at club, state and international level, insists his younger brother has a way to go to usurp Sydney Roosters ace James Tedesco.

Asked if Tom was the best fullback in the NRL, Jake said: "I'm going to have to say no to that at the moment.

"If you look at James Tedesco's last couple of years, two premierships, a Dally M, he won the Wally Lewis Medal last year and two Brad Fittler medals. I think that's pretty hard to beat.

"I have to give that one to Teddy."

Tedesco, 27, has the front-running as fullback for Australia and NSW but 24-year-old Trbojevic is hot on his heels.

And although the brothers gently rib each other in the media, Jake admits he has been impressed with Tom's steady improvement each season.

"Obviously the weekend was great to see. He's worked really hard over the off-season and Des (Hasler) has given him some things to work on," Jake said.

"It's only early in the year and it's a long year to try and be consistent and perform consistently for the team."

While the eldest Trbojevic was modest with praise for his brother, Manly's re-signing of powerhouse centre Moses Suli on a two-deal deal excites him.

He says the 22-year-old has learned how to be a steady performer under Hasler and could make a mark on the representative scene if he keeps it up.

"He's a coach who has a great knack of getting the best out of every player and he's unlocked Moses' potential and he's turned into a really consistent player for us," Trbojevic said.

"We've seen from a couple of years he's had under Des and playing alongside some of these players how much he's improved.

"He's only young. He's got a lot of great years in front of him and if he keeps performing at the standard that he is, I don't want to put too much pressure on him, but he'll be up there when it comes to rep football."

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