Manly cut Josh Schuster loose in $800,000 development for out-of-favour NRL player

Manly have seemingly lost patience with Josh Schuster after informing the talented back-rower that he is free to look elsewhere, having failed to feature in the NRL for the Sea Eagles this season. Schuster only last season signed a three-year extension with the Sea Eagles reportedly worth around $800,000 per season but coach Anthony Seibold confirmed on Wednesday that Manly were prepared to let him go. “We have given him permission to find another club,” Seibold told News Corp.

Schuster's $800,000 per season extension raised eyebrows at the time, and was even more perplexing after Manly signed Luke Brooks to play five-eighth, pushing Schuster back to the second row. The 22-year-old starred in the back row in 2021 but enjoyed less success after replacing Kieran Foran at five-eighth, when the veteran moved to the Titans before the 2023 season.

Schuster was even dumped to reserve grade in 2023 after some lacklustre displays, before returning to the first grade side and signing his lucrative extension. There were high hopes around the mercurial talent heading into 2024 but Schuster had a pre-season to forget after contracting chickenpox in December and then suffering a spiral fracture in his finger when he returned in the new year.

He was also battling a calf strain that saw the forward left out of the Manly travelling party that kicked off the NRL season against South Sydney in Las Vegas. Manly coach Anthony Seibold said at the time that the decision was made to ensure Schuster returned to fitness and was available from round two.

Unfortunately for the Sea Eagles, that simply has not eventuated with the 22-year-old unable to force his way back into Manly's 17-man squad and the Sea Eagles essentially paying $800,00 per season for a reserve grade player. Ben Trbojevic has excelled in place of Schuster in Manly's starting side, while the likes of Corey Waddell, Nathan Brown and Ethan Bullemor have all been preferred to the edge forward as part of the Sea Eagles' bench rotation.

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Even the absence of Reuben Garrick (concussion) for Saturday afternoon's trip to face the Warriors wasn't enough for Schuster to earn a recall to the Manly 17 this week. Ben Trbojevic has been named in the centres, with Waddell coming into the run-on side to play at left edge. Schuster's fitness and commitment has often come into question at Manly and Seibold has obviously not seen enough evidence that he's ready for an NRL return.

Schuster has subsequently spent this season in reserve grade but has also struggled to make much of an impact there and was even benched in the NSW Cup a fortnight ago. Manly's decision to allow the 22-year-old to leave would more than likely require the club to pay some of his contract for the next two years, unless another suitor is willing to pay the full amount.

NRL fans react to Josh Schuster bombshell at Manly

However, questions are being raised as to why Manly extended Schuster on such a large deal, only to turn around less than 12 months later and decide to cut him loose. The recriminations are sure to intensify at Manly after Wednesday's bombshell announcement, with fans flooding social media in response to the news.