- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Manly’s signing spree has continued with Josh Schuster inking a new three-year extension that will keep him at the club until 2027, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The gun youngster signed last night, mere hours after it was announced that Luke Brooks would be arriving at the club in 2024 to take over his number 6 jumper.
There had been speculation that the Samoa international could be tempted to go the opposite way, with strong links to former Sea Eagles recruitment head Scott Fulton, who is now at the Wests Tigers.
But, with this signing, it appears that Schuster is content to stay at Manly, where he has been since the age of 14, and revert to his previous role as a backrower to allow Brooks to play in the halves.
The news adds series weight to Manly’s case as one of the frontrunners for 2024, even given the issues that they have faced in 2023.
With Schuster and Haumole Olakau’atu in the back row, Brooks and talisman Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves and a fit Tom Trbojevic at the back, the Sea Eagles could be a powerful outfit under coach Anthony Seibold.
The extension comes the day after Tolu Koula also added multiple years to his contract at Brookvale, cementing his spot in the centres for the foreseeable future, and after the addition of Tommy Talau and Jaxson Paulo to a now-stacked backline that also includes Reuben Garrick, Jason Saab and Christian Tuipulotu.
Speaking on Monday night before the contract was announced, Seibold admitted that the news of Brooks arrival might be seen as a take-it-or-leave-it on Schuster’s desire to play in the halves.
“Well, mate, he’s got a year to go on his contract and have offered him a three-year extension,” said the coach on Nine News.
“Every indication from him to us is that he loves the club and wants to stay. That’s all I can say.”
On the evidence of today, Schuster seems happy to take it.