Some good news at Manly? Rep star cleared to return for Eels clash

Those same Manly fans heartbroken by the news Daly Cherry-Evans will depart at the end of the year should take heart that Tom Trbojevic passed his main fitness test on Monday and is a certain starter against Parramatta on Sunday.

Trbojevic wouldn’t comment on his skipper’s departure but did confirm on Tuesday he was able to hit top speed at a field session a day earlier, and was prepared to sit out a second week if he was still feeling tightness in his left hamstring.

“I’m good to go, I had to tick a few boxes, and I was able to complete the main session on Monday,” Trbojevic said.

“It was nothing ridiculous, but I still had to hit top speed, which I did. The session was probably more for me, and if I didn’t feel right, I wasn’t going to play. But there were no issues whatsoever.”

Trbojevic said he felt his hamstring tighten midway through the second half of the New Zealand Warriors’ clash. He tried to play on for a few minutes before leaving the field as a precaution.

There were no issues with his hamstrings during the summer, and a week’s rest and rehabilitation had him ready to face the Eels.

Trbojevic’s Kangaroos’ teammate Zac Lomax has been one of the few attacking threats for Parramatta, and the Manly No. 1 knows “world-class” Lomax will be an aerial threat when it comes to contested kicks.

Lehi Hopoate filled in at fullback against the Raiders on the weekend, but will make way for Trbojevic and revert to the wing.