the NRL.
LAS VEGAS — The NFL has the Kelce brothers.
The National Rugby League has the Trbojevic brothers.
Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ prolific pass-catching tight end, won the Super Bowl three weeks ago at Allegiant Stadium with his brother, Jason, the Eagles’ center, watching from a luxury suite.
Tom, Jake and Ben Trbojevic all will be in the starting 13 for the Manly Sea Eagles when they play the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Saturday’s historic NRL season opener at Allegiant Stadium, on foreign soil outside of Australia for the first time.
Tom, at age 27, is the middle brother and is the star of Manly as its dynamic play-making fullback. Jake, the oldest at 30, plays the “lock’’ position and Ben, 22, plays “second row.’’
The common thread that weaves through the brothers is their humble nature. They grew up in Manly Beach, came up playing through the junior programs and now are on the big club.
When I asked Tom, whose nickname is “Turbo,’’ this week about any comparisons between the Kelces and the Trbojevics (other than no Trbojevic is dating an international pop star), he said, “I feel there’s a lot of differences between us and the Kelce bothers. We respect what they’ve been able to do, but we’re a bit far away from what they’ve done in the world of sports. As a fan of both of them, it’s hard to compare to them.’’
When followed with this question, “Who’s Travis and who’s Jason?’’ among the three brothers, Tom said with a smile, “I think we’re all Jason, aren’t we? None of us are Travis.’’
“I’d say we’re all Jason,’’ Jake agreed. “But if any of us is Travis, it would be Tom.’’
“We’re very far from outgoing people,’’ Tom said. “If you ask anyone, they would probably say I am, but saying I’m outgoing is pretty far-fetched.’’
This was Tom’s answer when asked about the differences between him and his brothers: “Jake’s more of a forward, so he’s more heavy-hitting and a contact player. I’m an outside back that can move a bit better than he does. And Ben’s kind of in the middle of both of us. So, it’s a nice combination.
“I’ve been playing with Jake for eight or nine years now and Ben obviously came in a couple years ago, so it’s been nice to see his evolution as a footy player, so that’s been special to see.’’
The Trbojevic’s parents, John and Melissa, along with a fourth brother, Luke, who doesn’t play rugby, often travel to watch their boys play and are in Vegas this week.
“They follow us everywhere. They love watching us play footy and travel wherever they need to go to see us play,’’ Tom said.
“It’s a really great story,’’ Matty Johns, a former NRL player who’s now a Fox commentator, said. “The family is local, very well respected in the community. Back in the day when they were growing up, you’d go to a junior NRL game and their dad would be cooking the barbeque, their mom would be selling raffle tickets and the boys would be out on the field marking the field, putting the hats out, doing all that stuff. Incredibly community-minded family.’’
Jake Trbojevic called this week “a great life experience, and to get to do this with our brothers for our club where we grew up is a special experience. We’re all kind of pinching ourselves that we’re actually in Las Vegas. It’s one of those things you kind of dream of, but never thought would come true.’’
Jake said because there’s such an age gap between him and Tom and Ben, the unique nature of what they’re accomplishing as a family was lost on them.
“Me and Tom started together in 2015 and we both probably took it for granted that we were playing together because we were so young, but now that Ben’s come in we realize how special it is and you kind of get a little emotional about it sometimes, about how cool it is,’’ Jake said. “I think we both took it for granted when we first both started because we are similar age, but now that Ben’s on the team years later it does make it realize how special that is.’’
Ben, of course, always looked up to his older siblings and naturally wanted to follow their steps.
“Coming through the youth ranks, Tommy and Jake are older than me so I never really got to play with them,’’ Ben said. “Now I sort of pinch myself every time I get to play with my brothers. The family is just so proud. And to do this in Las Vegas is something I’ll never forget.’’
Jake’s advice to his younger brother as he forges his way is simple.
“We’re all different players, sort of formed our own ways and just know our strengths,’’ he said. “We don’t have to be like Tom. Just put your best foot forward and be yourself. That’s what we’ve always been taught. It’s not about being Tom. No one can be like Tom. Only Tom’s Tom.’’
Manly reserve Aaron Woods called Tom Trbojevic “a freak of nature’’ and he said he believes Ben “is going to be an out-and-out superstar.’’
“Jake, the oldest, is different body shape to Tom,’’ Woods went on. “He’s a short, stocky forward who looks like a typical business bloke on the street, but once he gets inside the white lines, he snaps blokes in half.
“They come from good genes. They’re the world’s nicest family. They’re local boys from the Manly area.’’
Woods said he sees a common denominator between the Kelce brothers and the Trbojevics.
“The one thing you see about those two Kelce brothers is they’re generally happy for each other to succeed,’’ Woods said. “Even though Jason plays for Philly, he was wearing a Kansas City Chiefs shirt at the Super Bowl. That’s how Jake and Tom and Ben are — it doesn’t matter who has success, they’re just so happy for each other and that’s the family bond.’’
Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans said he had a moment this week that made him appreciate the uniqueness of the journey the Trbojevic brothers are on right now.
“We went and did a Grand Canyon tour [earlier in the week] and I took a moment and thought, ‘Look at that, they’re on the other side of the world going to see the Grand Canyon together,’ ’’ he said. “I can only think what it would be like to play first grade with my brothers. It would be a great opportunity.
“Maybe we take it for granted a little bit because they’re on our team, but it is pretty cool, isn’t it?’’
Scott Penn, the Manly team owner and chairman, said the Trbojevic brothers “are going to be instrumental in the next three or four years and an incredibly important part of our team.’’
“They’re local juniors, they love their club and we can think of nothing better than rewarding them with some championships over the next few years,’’ Penn said. “It’s just an awesome story.’’
Tickets for the NRL matches can be purchased through Ticketmaster, with the prices starting as low as $19. Seats in the lower tier start from $39 and go up to $189 for club seats.
The matches are 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. Eastern time and can be seen on the app Watch NRL. They also will be broadcast in the U.S. on FS1.
