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4 months ago
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Jake Trbojevic lifted the Origin shield after leading the Blues to an unforgettable win on Wednesday night - only to be made the butt of jokes online after fans picked up on a detail about his play in this year's series.
NSW fanatics have no issues with the quality of Trbojevic's efforts as he played a big role in guiding the side back from a horror start in game one, to smashing the Maroons in Melbourne, then the miracle at Suncorp Stadium to take the shield.
However, they have an issue with the fact the skipper has only played short stints in this year's clashes with the Maroons.
He was on the field for 29 minutes in game one, 33 minutes in game two and just 23 minutes in the 14-4 win in Brisbane.
As a forward, it's expected that Trbojevic will spend some time getting rested - but having the captain off the field for that amount of time is unusual.
Footy fans showed the Manly forward no respect when they launched into him on social media after the series win.
'Jake Trbojevic is that id who does nothing in the group assignment but still gets an A,' one wrote, before adding, 'Trbojevic's role is just to lead the team out onto the field and then come straight off.'
'Cam Murray ran further to get involved in the fight last night than Jurbo [Trbojevic's nickname] did all series,' another commenter said, referring to the Souths star's involvement in the sideline melee at Suncorp.
Trbojevic (pictured centre, holding the shield after the win on Wednesday night) has had the mickey taken out of him online after his playing time was cut short this Origin series
One footy fan joked that Cameron Murray racked up more metres than his skipper when he ran into the melee from the bench in game three
Another X user was a bit more creative when it came to criticising Trbojevic's lack of time on the field this year
'Nicho Hynes ran for 20 metres more than Jake Trbojevic did this Origin series,' another fan said, referring to the Cronulla halfback who was dropped after game one.
'Does being captain mean you don't have to get your jersey dirty?' asked another commenter.
One X user was a bit more creative, posting the message 'The blues squad to Jake Trbojevic when he said "We" in the speech' accompanied by a clip of Walter White from the TV show Breaking Bad saying, 'We? Who's we?'
'Deadset Joseph sualli [sic] played more Minutes than Jake trbojevic this year,' another user wrote, referring to Roosters back Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i, who was sent off in the first 10 minutes of game one and played no further role in the series.
After the win in Brisbane, Blues coach Michael Maguire hit back at critics who raised the skipper's lack of game time.
'I had a lot of you guys actually ask about Jake being captain,' he said.
'It's the glue, it's the special parts in and around the team that people don't get to see.
Trbojevic (pictured left with teammate Angus Crichton after game three) shrugged off fans' worries about how long he has been stuck on the bench
'I wanted Jake as our captain because of his character, the players love him - they just had another special moment in there [the dressing room] where they all cheered him.
'I felt Jake was the man that I wanted to run the team, so it was nice to see.'
Trbojevic also addressed the issue after the 20-point loss in game one, when he was stuck on the bench for more than 50 minutes and came back on with just four minutes left and the match completely out of reach.
Asked if Maguire explained his reasoning, he replied, 'He did, but he didn't have to. It was fine.
'It's professional sport and I'm a grown man. It's the way it goes.
'It's the highest level. It's not like under-eights where you share your minutes.
'I've been around a long time. If you get to play for the Blues, it doesn't matter how many minutes you get. I'm just happy to be here.'
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