Manly star Tom Trbojevic has opened up on his dream of playing in a NSW side captained by older brother Jake as he prepares to make his return from a hamstring injury.
Trbojevic is set to line up in the centres for the Sea Eagles’ clash with North Queensland on Saturday night, his first since suffering the injury in a Round 10 loss to the Dolphins.
The injury denied the outside back the opportunity to play in the first two matches of this year’s State of Origin series, in which Jake has captained the Blues for the first time.
Speaking as part of Ancestry’s Discover your Origin campaign, Trbojevic admits he’s unlikely to have the chance to feature in this month’s decider but declared his desire to be led out by his older brother in a sky-blue jersey.
“It was a proud moment watching Jake captain NSW,” Trbojevic told NRL.com. “Not many people get the opportunity to do that, he’s very honoured by it.
“It would be pretty special to play with him as captain. He’s captained me before at Manly, which has been really cool. I’m happy he gets the opportunity and recognition to captain NSW. Hopefully he can lead them to a Game Three victory and a series victory.”
Trbojevic has been familiar with his Serbian and Croatian heritage throughout his life. An Ancestry DNA test has provided him with more details about his background.
The footballer’s grandfather on his dad’s side was Serbian, while his dad’s mom was Croatian. With 46% of his ethnicity from the Balkans, the footballer’s background can be traced to the Dalmatian region of Croatia.
Tom and Jake Trbojevic join Inside The NRL
Trbojevic’s mother’s family has ties to the British Isles, with 20% of his DNA coming from England and Northwestern Europe. Interestingly, Tom and Jake have different results, with Jake possessing 24% Scottish heritage compared to his brother’s 10%.
The differences reflect the process of recombination, with siblings inheriting a unique mix of genetic material from their parents.
The Trbojevic’s have always been a tight-knit family, with Tom excited to further explore his heritage alongside his parents and three brothers.
“I knew I had some Serbian and Croatian in me on my dad’s side with my last name so it was good to dive a little bit deeper,” he said.
“It will be cool to explore the results with my family when I get home and maybe go and visit [Croatia] one day.”
The Ancestry DNA test provided Trbojevic an insight into more than just his heritage, with the kit also identifying certain personality traits based on his genes.
Unsurprisingly, sprinting and competitiveness were among the traits Trbojevic is more likely to possess, with NRL fans used to seeing the outside back in full flight on rugby league fields.
Tom Trbojevic Highlights vs. Sydney Roosters
On the other side of the coin, the Manly star is less likely to be a leader, enjoy watching sport or have quick reflexes.
While some of the results surprised Trbojevic, he was not shocked to see he was less likely to be a leader.
As the oldest of four boys, Jake was always the leader in the family and this has flowed through to the football field. The forward has captained Manly on multiple occasions and will conclude his first series as NSW skipper later this month.
Tom conceded it has been easy to forget how special it is to play alongside his older brother but will always recognise the path Jake helped forge for him and younger brother, and fellow Manly player, Ben.
“Jake leads from the front,” Trbojevic said. “He’s the oldest so it makes sense he’s the leader in the family.
“Playing with him when I came into first grade was awesome. I took it a bit for granted because we had played in a lot of teams together growing up, but then with Ben coming in, you realise how special it is.
“It’s been really good to see Ben making a name for himself. It’s pretty surreal we all get to train together and play together.”
Having suffered multiple injuries throughout his career, Trbojevic has become used to watching games from the sidelines.
While it has become a regular occurrence, the star outside back is yet to learn how to enjoy watching his team play so he was not shocked to learn his genetics indicate he’s less likely to enjoy watching sport.
The time away from football has, however, allowed Trbojevic to navigate the mental challenges associated with injuries and he’s confident he will run on to Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday night with a clear head.
“Sometimes you go out there looking for answers and they can’t be answered,” he said. “It’s about getting back out there and doing everything you can to stay out there.
“If you know you’ve done the best you can to prevent it, sometimes things happen and you’ve just got to accept it and move on. It’s not easy but it helps you get into that mindset of instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you focus on what you have to do to get back out there.”