The Wests Tigers have got their eyes firmly locked on dumped Many Sea Eagles playmaker Josh Schuster, and there’s talk coming out of Campbelltown that they may even chase a mid-season switch to drop the 21-year-old straight into their halves.
Brandon Wakeham has taken up the number six jumper following Adam Doueihi’s season-ending injury and played well there in Wests’ 12-8 boilover against the Penrith Panthers, but Tigers scouts have been pouring over five-eighth options for some weeks now. Their hopes, The Sporting Base understands, are to scoop up Schuster.
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Schuster won’t play Magic Round after being dropped back to NSW Cup.
The 21-year-old missed the start of the season thanks to a mixture of injury and fitness concerns before failing to fire in his three return games and being shuffled back out of the starting first-grade side.
The five-eighth, who played second row in his debut season for Manly and is reportedly earning around $800,000, was also involved in a training ground bust-up with reserve teammate Dean Matterson last week. Anthony Seibold called it a “non-event” but is expected to keep Schuster away from the top squad for some time.
Now, with Scott Fulton joining the Tigers’ football department as head of retention and recruitment, everything seems set for the Campbelltown club to pull off a mid-season swap.
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If the Tigers do pick up the phone and call Manly, reports make it sound like the Sea Eagles powerbrokers could actually jump at the opportunity to shuffle Schuster out the door.
According to Fox Sports reporter Paul Kent and The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield, there have already been conversations behind the scenes on the Northern Beaches about the 21-year-old’s future. The biggest note there has been that $800,000 pay packet—a hefty pile of value the Sea Eagles simply don’t think is being returned by the youngster anymore.
While he hasn’t lit the world on fire, Cooper Johns stepping in to help halfback Daly Cherry-Evans has shown what a stable player can do. Johns has already played several games for Manly this season and will keep his role for the time being.
Last week, Cherry-Evans said: “[This] is rugby league mate—if you’re not willing to work hard, if you’re not willing to sacrifice, you just don’t last long. He [Schuster] is at an early crossroads in his career but it can be a real positive.
“I have been playing long enough to see so many at this club not maximise their opportunity.”
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