Josh Schuster injury truth emerges as Manly forward ruled out of NRL's Las Vegas game
The news has opened the door for another exciting Sea Eagles young gun to stamp his mark on the side.
Manly coach Anthony Seibold has provided an injury update on Josh Schuster after confirming the talented Sea Eagles back-rower will be left off the plane to Las Vegas. Manly's squad is set to fly out to the United States this week to prepare for the first of the NRL's historic Las Vegas double-headers against South Sydney at Allegiant Stadium on March 2 (March 3 AEDT).
However, Seibold has confirmed Schuster will remain in Australia after pulling up with calf soreness after a training session with the team on Sunday. Schuster has endured a torrid run of setbacks across the pre-season after contracting chickenpox in December and then suffering a spiral fracture in his finger when he returned in the new year.
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Schuster ultimately required surgery on the finger injury and has also been battling a calf complaint that saw him ruled out of Manly's trial game against South Sydney, followed by Saturday's pre-season match against the Roosters. He was tipped to start in the back-row this season after Manly signed playmaker Luke Brooks from the Tigers but will face a battle breaking into Manly's starting 13 when he returns.
Manly hoping Josh Schuster will return in round two
The 22-year-old will now focus on getting himself fit in time to feature in Manly's round two game against the Roosters at 4 Pines Park on Sunday, March 17. It gives the Manly star almost a month to get in shape for his first match of the new season, with Ben Trbojevic expected to take Schuster's starting spot on the Sea Eagles' edge.
"The medical staff has said that due to ongoing tightness... we're not comfortable having him return to play and that we want to take a more conservative approach," Seibold explained about Schuster in a club statement. "Josh is only 21 days post initial calf strain, so we won't take him to Las Vegas.
"We will leave him here hoping that he will return in the near future, with the expectation that he will be playing again from round two." Schuster's absence is a further blow to a Manly side that will also be missing Toafofoa Sipley for their Las Vegas showdown after the prop copped a three-game ban for a crusher tackle on Roosters recruit Dom Young on Saturday.
Toafofoa Sipley also ruled out of Manly's Las Vegas match
Sipley took the early guilty plea after the ugly incident that saw Young leave Central Coast Stadium in an ambulance. The Roosters later revealed that Young suffered a “soft tissue injury to his neck", ruling him out of the Vegas match against Brisbane.
The Manly prop told The Daily Telegraph he had no intention of hurting Young in the tackle and was sorry he'd "robbed" the Roosters star of his Las Vegas dream. “I truly am sorry about what happened to Dom,” Sipley said. “It’s so unfortunate. There was no intent and it was an accident. Obviously, I’ve robbed Dom — and me — of a game in Vegas, which is really unfortunate. It’s definitely something I am trying to get out of my game (by working) with Jimmy Dymock, our wrestling coach."
The Manly middle forward would almost certainly have been part of the Sea Eagles' 17-man squad for the round one match against South Sydney. Veteran forward Aaron Woods and new recruit Aitasi James are in line to replace Sipley, while journeyman Nathan Brown could earn a spot in Manly's 17 after being rewarded with a top-30 contract in the pre-season.
The absence of Schuster and Sipley will provide Seibold with a stern early test of Manly's squad depth, with veteran prop Matt Lodge still weeks away from making his comeback from a long-term injury. Lodge suffered an ACL injury against the Roosters in round 23 last year and Manly's coach says he's hoping to have the veteran prop back between rounds six and eight.
“Matthew has passed his pinch ready test which is a test for returning athletes from an ACL reconstruction," Seibold said. “He is still looking to be available somewhere between round six and round eight. Matthew has shown some really good signs and is running well. We will reintroduce him to basic skills on our return from Las Vegas."
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