Seibold sees GI in Turbo but dodges Fogarty questions

Anthony Seibold is seeing shades of NRL champion Greg Inglis in Tom Trbojevic as the fullback prepares to make a much-needed return against Penrith.

Fighting to inspire Manly out of their funk, coach Seibold says he's had little time to consider Jamal Fogarty's probable arrival as Daly Cherry-Evans' replacement at halfback.

Fogarty's current club Canberra conceded on Thursday they are unable to match the Sea Eagles' offer of what is believed to be a three-year, $2.1 million contract beginning next season.

But Seibold's top priority this week has been avoiding Manly's first four-game losing streak since the fallout from the 2022 rainbow jersey saga, not finalising the Fogarty deal.

"Recruitment and retention and those types of things haven't been at the forefront of my mind," Seibold said.

"Respectfully, I'm not going to comment on potential targets or potential players from other clubs."

Trbojevic is poised to reinvigorate the sluggish Sea Eagles after a three-week lay-off with a knee issue, his latest in a long list of injuries.

Manly have lost all three games in his absence, two of those at their home fortress Brookvale Oval.

But articulating the importance of Trbojevic's return, Seibold referenced 2014 South Sydney premiership hero Inglis, whom he coached during his 2018 season at the Rabbitohs.

"There's some players that I've coached over the years that when they're in your locker room, it just gives you confidence. Greg Inglis was one of those guys," Seibold said.

"Turbo's another. He's got that physical presence, he's a great communicator. It's not just the on-field actions, it's the off-field communication and confidence that he brings.

"But just because we've got Turbo back, it doesn't mean we're going to win ... We all individually and collectively need to do our jobs."

Despite his well-documented injury struggles - Trbojevic has played 20 games in only one of the past six NRL seasons - the fullback has returned to peak physical condition for Saturday's game.

"If we didn't think he was ready to play, we wouldn't play him," Seibold said.

"He's passed every test, he's done the full week's work."

Seibold voiced his frustrations with the NRL's scheduling after last week's loss to St George Illawarra, the Sea Eagles' third game in an 11-day period that featured a trip to Perth.

Before this week, Manly hadn't enjoyed a 13-on-13 opposed session for a month due to their travel schedule and quick turnarounds.

"This week, we've had a nine-day turnaround, we've given the guys a freshen-up, we've had a full week's training. There's no excuses," Seibold said.