Tom and Jake

[Dee Why Eagle]

Mestrov to meet Trbojevic brothers amid simmering tension at Manly​

Danny Weidler​

Sport columnist
August 24, 2025 — 6.00am

Manly chief executive Tony Mestrov will seek to clear the air with Tom and Jake Trbojevic at the end of the season as he attempts to get the Sea Eagles back on track amid unprecedented levels of infighting and unrest.

The main issue Mestrov needs to work on is the relationship between Tom and coach Anthony Seibold. Presently, it’s serviceable.
y Vi
But it needs to be more than that, especially as club owner Scott Penn is backing Seibold to remain as coach. The superstar player and the coach need to have a strong bond. At one point, around the time of Des Hasler’s exit in 2022, Tom even flirted with the idea of leaving the Sea Eagles.

Manly won’t admit to there being any issues. But they can’t afford another season like this one, where their captain, Daly Cherry-Evans decided to quit.

With respect to DCE, the Trbojevic brothers are more loved on the Northern Beaches than their departing leader.

Manly have an offer ready to put to Jake Trbojevic for 2027, but he will need to decide whether he wants to continue playing. He has a contract for 2026, but is wrestling with whether to play on beyond his deal after suffering three serious concussions this year.

Negotiations with Tom Trbojevic are not as well advanced. There is no rush to do that deal.

Tom’s name has been mentioned as having concerns with the direction of the club. He has never said anything publicly, but he is a smart man and has strong opinions that he would share with the club if asked. Mestrov will hear those views in the weeks to come.

Mestrov was hired by Manly to transform the club, and there have certainly been changes. In his time there, the influence of the famous Fulton family has come to an end.

He did not offer Daly Cherry-Evans a new contract until Nine News and Herald journalist Michael Chammas revealed the halfback planned to leave, and now he has those connected with management company SFX Sports Group in his sights.

SFX has two coaches on its books, Michael Ennis and Matt Ballin, who have been linked to Seibold’s job. Ennis is an assistant at Manly and has been offered a contract extension.

SFX also represents the Trbojevic brothers. They are managed by Paul Sutton. I have been told by sources with knowledge of the issues at Manly that to get greater buy-in from the brothers, Sutton has suggested they should be involved in developing tactics and planning with Seibold.

That accountability is considered important, and Manly say it is happening.

Mestrov says he has a great relationship with the Trbojevic family.

He also has his suspicions about where anti-Seibold stories are coming from. Mimis and Mestrov went head-to-head over Des Hasler’s messy exit from the club in 2022. However, Mimis has no reason to plot against Seibold.

A year ago, Manly approached Mimis to let him know Ennis was the coach they wanted to take over from Seibold. Ennis is in no hurry to coach in the NRL, and walking into a viper’s nest is only a job for someone who is genuinely ready.

Why can't players just play,
and let coaches coach???

 

[CoreyWaddellSuperFan]

Why can't players just play,
and let coaches coach???

Why can't 'journalists' stop making stuff up?

 

[manlyfan76]

Why can't players just play,
and let coaches coach???

Welcome to 2025.
Different times.

 

[Dee Why Eagle]

Welcome to 2025.
Different times.

Maybe...
But can you imagine any old school coach - Gibson, Ryan even Fulton or Hasler;
Or any new school coach - Bellamy, Robinson or Ciraldo
entertaining a player dictate playing tactics or systems?

Bow to that and you no longer have a team.
Don't like it? then f off - no matter what your surname!

 

[Wombat64]

Maybe...
But can you imagine any old school coach - Gibson, Ryan even Fulton or Hasler;
Or any new school coach - Bellamy, Robinson or Ciraldo
entertaining a player dictate playing tactics or systems?

Bow to that and you no longer have a team.
Don't like it? then f off - no matter what your surname!

Maybe the first one to be cleaned out and fxcked off was DCE?

 

[CoreyWaddellSuperFan]

Maybe...
But can you imagine any old school coach - Gibson, Ryan even Fulton or Hasler;
Or any new school coach - Bellamy, Robinson or Ciraldo
entertaining a player dictate playing tactics or systems?

Bow to that and you no longer have a team.
Don't like it? then f off - no matter what your surname!

You need to stop arguing as if any Weidler article is fact.

Leads you, a supporter, to bagging our players/club/management/whatever on the basis of gossip.

Unfounded, unsubstantiated gossip

 

[Cliffycomeback]

but... he told Danny Weidler!
Yeah, right

Is there any universe where you might accept that the players are off the coach? Or have you drawn a line in the sand? I find it absurd that there can be so much noise around this subject (not just from Weidler) without there being any truth to the matter. Does that mean I think everything reported is accurate, not a chance.

Your "but he told Danny Weidler!" response is immature. Love him or loathe him, do you think that no one in the game talks to Danny? i can assure you that he is loved and loathed in equal measure by people in the game. What he does have is respect for the cleanskin lifestyle he leads, basically he is everything that Kent and Hooper aren't in that regard.

It's okay to be wrong sometimes man.

 

[Frogz]

Mestrov was hired by Manly to transform the club.

What a load a cr@p that is by Weirdler. Mestrov was hired by Penn, to do what Penn wants him to do.

 

[47MVEagle]

Mestrov was hired by Manly to transform the club.

What a load a cr@p that is by Weirdler. Mestrov was hired by Penn, to do what Penn wants him to do.

I disagree.

We’ve had a revolving door policy of CEOs for the last 10 years, none of whom seemed to make much of a difference.

Mestrov arrived & removed the Fulton & Tartak influences within the club & has made inroads into getting our junior development back on track & local. He’s also overseen DCE’s exit from the club & from what I can glean from the various rumours & reports, brought the idea of Turbo & Jake on greatly reduced contracts when they renew to the fore.

He’s achieved a lot more than any other CEO we’ve had in the past decade IMO.