Tom Trbojevic’s return date has been pushed back to round 15 but Manly insist their injured NRL superstar will be back well before their run to the finals.
There were fears the star fullback’s 2020 campaign was over as Manly tried to ease him back into running at the start of the week.
But it’s believed the Sea Eagles’ No.1 has not suffered a new injury and he will instead take a slower path back to the NRL.
“He is travelling well and on track,” Manly physio James Rahme said.
“At the moment we are probably looking at a round 15 return to play.
“We just want to make sure when he comes back he is not re-injured.
“He is going well and there is a lot of healing going on.
“The only thing we can’t control with these injuries is time.
“You just have to let the body do what it has to do.
“He’ll definitely be back if not round 15, maybe the round after that.”
Manly had hoped they could have their injured star back within weeks, but the new return date is still another month off.
It suggests he will miss a total of eight to nine matches, more than the initial six-to-eight he was ruled out for.
This week had always shaped as a key week for the NSW State of Origin representative, who was due to undergo more scans and ramp up his training.
The Sea Eagles are understandably concerned about the 23-year-old’s left hamstring.
He injured it on two separate occasions last year, and this season’s blow came despite him showing full strength in it over the summer.
The continual problems experienced with it do cause concerns long term.
Trbojevic is also arguably the most influential player in the game, and Manly desperately need them in their side to be a contender come October.
At the time he was injured he’d either scored or set up 11 of the Sea Eagles’ 16 tries to that point of the season.
Last week’s win over Parramatta was just Manly’s second victory in their past 10 games without the fullback.
With him, they are among the NRL’s front-runners but without him they have now dropped out of the eight altogether.
Meanwhile, five-eighth Dylan Walker is potentially set to return from a foot fracture in round 12 against Penrith.
Centre Moses Suli has been cleared of any serious sternum damage and is expected to face North Queensland on Friday night.