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Full name | Joshua Schuster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 5 May 2001||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Second-row, Five-eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 18 August 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relatives | John Schuster (great uncle) Peter Schuster (great uncle) |
Josh Schuster (born 5 May 2001) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward or five-eighth for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.
Schuster was born in Sydney, Australia to Australian parents of Samoan and German descent. Schuster's grandfather David and great-uncle Peter both represented Samoa in rugby union, [2] while another great-uncle, John, represented New Zealand in rugby union and Samoa in rugby league. [3] His uncle Peter represented Australia in rugby sevens. [2]
He played junior rugby league for the Mount Pritchard Mounties.
Schuster made his NRL debut in round 17 of the 2020 NRL season for Manly-Warringah against the Wests Tigers; in a 34–32 loss at Brookvale Oval in an NRL game. [4]
In round 5 of the 2021 NRL season, Schuster scored his first try in the NRL in Manly-Warringah's 13–12 win over the New Zealand Warriors. Schuster played 21 games for Manly in the 2021 NRL season including the club's preliminary final loss against South Sydney. [5]
On 9 February, it was announced that Schuster would be ruled out indefinitely from playing after sustaining an ankle injury at pre-season training. [6] He made 13 appearances for Manly in the 2022 NRL season as the club finished 11th on the table and miss out on the finals. [7] Schuster was one of seven players involved in the Manly pride jersey player boycott. [8]
On 4 July, Schuster signed a three-year contract extension to remain at Manly until the end of the 2027 season. [9]
Schuster was demoted to reserve grade for the second time in the 2023 NRL season after a lacklustre performance against the New Zealand Warriors in round 25. [10] Schuster played 15 matches for Manly in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 12th on the table and missed the finals. [11]
On 10 April, it was announced that Schuster had been told by Manly officials he was free to negotiate with other clubs despite the player being contracted to Manly until the end of 2027. [12] On 24 April just 14 days after being told he was free to negotiate the Manly club mutually agreed and released Schuster from the remainder of his contract. [13] On 18 September, Schuster had signed a one-year deal to join the South Sydney Rabbitohs. [14]
On 21 June, Schuster announced he would be taking an indefinite break from rugby league due to mental health reasons. [15]