When he was battling repeated concussions that forced him to miss the end of last season, Jake Trbojevic got a glimpse of what life would be like without an NRL career at Manly.
And the lovable lock didn't like what he saw.
"I'm actually a bit nervous (for life after the NRL), I think it made me realise I don't really know too much other than Manly," Trbojevic told AAP.
"I guess I've been here since I was in those under-12s development squads and that's all I've known.
"The future is a bit scary but I know whatever I do, I'd put my heart and soul into. Coaching would probably be a bit stressful for me."
Trbojevic had three serious concussions in 2025 which prompted him to sit out the final month of the Sea Eagle's campaign.
The 32-year-old forward comes off contract this season.
All going well, he could become just the sixth player in Manly's history to rack up 250 first-grade appearances - he has played 241 games to date - later this year.
But Trbojevic is also a realist and knows that if he suffers another head knock his chances of breaking more milestones will become increasingly slim.
Trbojevic has spent his off-season reshaping his tackle technique and will wear protective headgear.
"I've given myself the best chance to not have the same thing (happen)," Trbojevic said.
"We all know the repercussions if I have a few more (concussions) which is obviously not going to be great for me.
"The positive thing is, I can't really give up, you know? I want to keep going and I've given myself the best chance, which is something I'm proud of.
"It all comes down to my feet and my tackle selection.
"I have probably been a bit silly in the past, for instance you try and tackle Josh Papalii you've got to be smarter about how you go about it, I was trying to impose myself on the game."
Trbojevic has been named at lock for Saturday's home clash with Canberra and knows his side can ill afford to be as erratic as they were last year if they want to return to the top eight and keep the pressure off coach Anthony Seibold.
"Our problem's probably been consistency. I think (there is a big gap between) our best performance and our not so good performance," Trbojevic said.
"We have a lot of quality but we have to find the balance between getting our best game on each week."
