‘I care for Josh’: Anthony Seibold explains Josh Schuster decision, with back-rower likely to have played last game for club

Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold says the decision to grant Josh Schuster two weeks of personal leave was based around the enigmatic star’s performances, but he hopes the fortnight off will be good for his welfare after he was told by the club that he’s free to go elsewhere.

Schuster, 22, signed an extension last season worth a reported $800,000 a year, but he hasn’t played a game in the NRL yet in 2024 after dealing with injuries in the pre-season and then failing to live up to standards in the opening rounds.

He’s been stuck in reserve grade and hasn’t done enough to work his way back into the NRL despite being blessed with incredible talent that we’ve seen on and off during his short career.

The back-rower was told earlier in the week to take some time away from the game, with his future at Manly likely to be decided when he returns.

“First and foremost my role is to look after Josh’s wellbeing and his welfare,” Seibold said in Auckland ahead of the game against the Warriors.

“There’s an opportunity now for Josh to have a bit of a pause and work out what he wants to do next. He’s got two weeks of leave at the moment and we’ll get things sorted during that period of time.

“I want to make sure Josh takes a breath and gets a good opportunity elsewhere and we’ll go from there.

“Ultimately, it’s a decision based around performance, but I care for Josh. I just think that there’s another opportunity for Josh to reset and go from there.

“There is an opportunity for him to pause for the next two weeks and take a breath. We’ll work in the background and make sure things are sorted for both parties.”

The man who has taken his spot on the left edge, Ben Trbojevic, will start this weekend in the centres with Reuben Garrick unavailable under the NRL’s concussion protocols.

It’s nothing new for Trbojevic, with Corey Waddell playing strongly on the left edge in the shock win over Penrith last week.

“It is a change. Fortunately we had to do it last week, so we have had some practise,” Seibold said.

“Unfortunately, Rueben is not there, and (Jason) Saab too. Ben will do a great job. He made his debut as a centre, so it’s not foreign to him. He played 77 minutes there last week.

“We wanted to reward the guys who did the job last week, so Ben starts there and Corey Waddell starts as a second-rower.”