Tom Trbojevic wins Manly's Best and Fairest Award for 2024

Author: Wayne Cousins
Timestamp: Tue 10 Sep 2024, 08:13 AM

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles full-back Tom Trbojevic has claimed the Club’s NRL Roy Bull 'Best and Fairest' Award for season 2024.

Coach Anthony Seibold presented Trbojevic with the Club’s highest accolade at the Sea Eagles Awards Night at The Star Event Centre on Monday. Fox League’s Yvonne Sampson hosted the night.

Trbojevic becomes just the fourth player to have won the prestigious award three times, having already claimed it in 2016 and 2021.

Daly Cherry-Evans (2017, 2020, 2023), Jake Trbojevic (2015, 2018, 2019) and Glenn Stewart (2007, 2008, 2011) are the other three-time winners of the Best and Fairest Award named after one of Manly’s early pioneers.

Roy Bull played 177 games at prop for Manly and became the Club’s first Australian player in 1949 when he played against New Zealand in the second Test. He played 25 Tests for Australia and 26 games for NSW.

It was a big night for Tom Trbojevic, who also collected the NRL Players’ Player Award and Manly’s Leading Try Scoring Award.

Tom Trbojevic with his Leading Try Scoring award ©Gregg Porteous (NRL Photos)

Despite some injury setbacks, Trbojevic has enjoyed another fine season for the Sea Eagles, scoring 17 tries in 18 games to again stamp his enormous impact he has on the team.

The brilliant and electrifying full-back’s ability to break the line has now seen Trbojevic score 105 tries in 150 games for Manly.

Half-back and captain Daly Cherry-Evans claimed the Gordon Willoughby Medallion for Best Player as voted by the Manly Members.

Several other awards were presented. The ‘Menzies Medal’ for the Play of the Year was won by Jake Trbojevic for his charge down in golden point against the Cowboys that led to Cherry-Evans kicking the match-winning field goal.

Centre Reuben Garrick won the Club’s NRL Leading Point Scorer Award for the sixth consecutive year. Garrick scored 10 tries and kicked 75 goals for 190 points.

Exciting youngster Lehi Hopoate took out the Ken Arthurson Rising Star Award for Rookie of the Year for his sensational debut season in the NRL. A proud Manly junior, Hopoate scored nine tries in 12 games this season.

Lehi Hopoate won the honoured Ken Arthurson Rising Star Award for Rookie of the Year ©Gregg Porteous (NRL Photos)

Tommy Talau capped off his first season at the Sea Eagles by taking out the Manly Mentality award.

The award is given to the player who displays the effort parts of the game - the actions that don’t require talent but rather making the choice to turn up for your team-mate.

The prestigious Doug Daley Club Person of the Year Award was presented to Lachlan Croker.

Karl Lawton won the NRL Club Wellbeing and Education Award for enrolling and completing the ‘Foundations of Elite Athlete Wellbeing Course’

Clayton Faulalo took out the NSW Cup double for the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles, winning the Bob Batty Best and Fairest Award and the Players’ Player Award.

The Jersey Flegg Russ Bull Best and Fairest Award was taken out by hard working lock and captain Nicholas Lenaz with hooker Daniel O’Donnell claiming the Players’ Player Award.