Brad Fittler was non-committal about an Origin recall for Tom Trbojevic after a mixed game against North Queensland last week, but a five-star performance against the Dragons has made it impossible for the Blues coach to overlook the Manly fullback.
Trbojevic, who is only in his second game back from a hamstring injury, ran for over 300 metres for the first time in his career with 339 metres in a mind-blowing stat sheet that included a try, one try assist, nine tackle breaks, two line breaks and four offloads.
He capped off his day with a runaway try after Dragons five-eighth Corey Norman attempted a chip-and-chase, picking up the scraps to storm 70 metres downfield while leaving the Red V in his wake.
10/10 performance by Tommy Turbo today 💯#NRLManlyDragons#TelstraPremiership pic.twitter.com/Gjvpimfigy
— NRL (@NRL) June 16, 2019
Manly were slow off the blocks, trailing 8-0 after 16 minutes, but the home side piled on 34 unanswered points for a 34-14 victory at Lottoland.
The electric display has all but solidified his place in Fittler's squad, which will be announced at 6pm on Sunday, however his position remains unclear.
There are reports he could play at right centre at the expense of Josh Morris with Blake Ferguson on the wing, while there have been other suggestions he will play right wing in place of the injured Nick Cotric.
The Blues can expect as many as six changes with props David Klemmer and Payne Haas joining Cotric in the casualty ward, while former club teammates Cody Walker and Angus Crichton are expected to be overlooked.
Knights halfback Mitchell Pearce has been ruled out with a groin and hip injury, paving the way for James Maloney to take his place next to Nathan Cleary.
