Josh Schuster is leaning on his experience as a teenage second-rower for NSW to make his name as a five-eighth for Manly in the NRL.
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Schuster has been one of the real surprise packets of this season, starring on the left edge for the Sea Eagles despite not being a noted back-rower.
Hailed by coach Des Hasler as "the future" of the club on Saturday, Schuster was expected to take the No.6 jersey for the next generation this season.
But those plans were scuttled when the Sea Eagles signed Kieran Foran at the end of last year, reuniting him with Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves.
Schuster, though, has since turned into a revelation on the edge ahead of Sunday's clash with the Warriors.
The 20-year-old has set up four tries playing there as a different point of attack, while also busting through 15 tackles and also making three linebreaks.
And he is doing it all while leaning on the experience of playing second-row in underage State of Origin, having done so as recently as 2019 under Michael Ennis in under-18s.
"I'm loving it," Schuster said. "When he told me I was playing back row I was very happy when he told me that because I did it in my juniors.
"I'm getting better each week I reckon. I'm definitely getting sore but I'm getting used to the contact and intensity of the NRL."
Schuster's form has been so good that when Curtis Sironen returns from a knee injury, it's likely he will hold his place on the other edge.
But an eventual move to the halves is still on his radar.
He was the SG Ball player of the year in 2019 playing five-eighth, and Benji Marshall hailed his NRL debut at No.6 last year as the best he'd ever seen.
Playing next to Foran for now, Schuster is adamant he will be a better playmaker for the experience.
"In the future I definitely want to play five-eighth. But with a guy like Kieran Foran at our club he definitely has the No.6 spot," Schuster said.
"He has taught me a lot already and I am playing in a different position. That just shows how much experience he has in the game."
Schuster's new two-year extension at the Sea Eagles was confirmed this week, putting pay to any suggestion he'd leave in pursuit of a spot in the halves.
"He is the future, so it's important we plan around that," Hasler said.
"He is a wonderful talent and he's progressing every week and showing his versatility as just a real footballer."
Australian Associated Press
