Turbo breaks down again as Titans send Foz-ball into free fall

Tom Trbojevic succumbed to yet another hamstring injury as Manly crashed to their third straight loss, a 38-32 defeat at the hands of the Gold Coast.

Trbojevic cut a dejected figure at CBus Super Stadium on Sunday afternoon – rugby league’s saddest sight recurring once more when he stayed down with what the club hopes is only a low-grade hamstring strain.

The Manly captain went down and immediately came from the field, running his hands through his hair in frustration, when his right hamstring pinged in the 21st minute.

Trbojevic was sidelined for two months with a hamstring tear in his left leg earlier this year, and this is his ninth recorded hamstring injury since 2018 (four injuries to his left leg, five to his right).

Manly won five of seven games without Trbojevic earlier this year, and that 71 per cent strike-rate was a stark improvement on a winning percentage of just 35 without their gun fullback before this season.

But with Luke Brooks (ACL) already out for the year and surprise packet Clayton Faulalo also nursing a hamstring issue, the Sea Eagles’ slide is all too real after a fourth defeat from their last five games.

Especially given the 16th-placed Gold Coast ran riot once Trbojevic exited the contest.

Manly will stay in ninth spot on the ladder, but could fall behind Canterbury next week given they host the in-form Sharks in seven days’ time. And while Trbojevic scored the game’s opening try after just 110 seconds and threw the last pass for Jason Saab to cross four minutes later, the Titans had Manly’s measure from midway through the first half.

A double from young hooker Oliver Pascoe exposed seriously soft defence from Manly’s middle, before Queensland Origin flyer Jojo Fifita just managed to deny Josh Feledy at the other end.

A moment later, Fifita was in prime position to collect a sublime flicked offload from Josh Patston for a four-pointer of his own.

When AJ Brimson beat a dawdling Saab to a grubber with half-time looming, the home side had rattled up three tries in 12 minutes.

Haumole Olakau’atu’s 55th-minute stroll through the Gold Coast’s ruck trimmed back the 28-14 lead that had held up since the break.

But after referee Adam Gee blew a penalty for Manly setting up a “wall” to shield makeshift fullback Lehi Hopoate under the high ball, Beau Fermor strode through an enormous gap out wide and scored without a hand laid on him.

Reuben Garrick again made things interesting when he scored from a spilled Keano Kini bomb, despite replays suggesting and Titans captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui protesting that Garrick was offside on the kick chase.

A hip-drop tackle on Tolu Koula then landed Dean Ieremia in the sin bin, though it was 12 on 12 when Feledy joined him for a cynical foul after a long break downfield from Brimson a minute later.

Fifita’s second try sealed the loss Manly’s shoddy defence and at-times listless attack deserved, with Koula’s runaway four-pointer in the final minute coming too late to make a difference.