Schuster delivers a swagger to the heart of the haters

Anyone who thought they could knock the self-confidence out of Josh Schuster by taking pot shots at him about his weight, his injuries or his work ethic had better think again.

The gifted Sea Eagles five-eighth returned to the NRL in a flurry of freakish plays against Canberra last Sunday after a month on the sideline, sending a clear message that he is ready to deliver on his lofty ambitions.

“Every time you read negative stuff it hurts, but you know if you are doing the work behind the scenes you’re going to shut them up real quick,” Schuster told media on Tuesday.

“I just know when I reach my potential, I know what I’m capable of and I believe I can be the best player in the game one day.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to do this, and I just know if I continue to work hard then I will be the best one day.”

With his career still very much in its infancy, Schuster knows his brashness will probably send social media into overdrive again, but the 22-year-old is adamant that some serious soul-searching during the past month has him on track to fulfil his dreams.

“I was at the crossroads of my career, I had to make a choice and I chose to take my training to the next level, get my preparation and recovery right and give myself every opportunity,” Schuster said.

“I’m fit and healthy, I’ve done the hard work the past month to get my body right.

“I have dropped six kilos and I’m in a good head space now and I feel good for it.

“I’m pretty new to the NRL scene, this is my third year, so I’m still learning but I’ll just keep working hard, it’s as simple as that.”

Schuster was quick to pay tribute to Manly’s strength and conditioning team for their role in his transformation while also making mention of club legend Mark Carroll, who put him through his paces while the rest of the squad were in Brisbane for Magic Round.

“He’s a good man, Spudd. He wants the best for me,” Schuster said.

“Seibs [coach Anthony Seibold] told me to stay back and train with Spudd when the boys went to Queensland and it was really good.

“I was here by myself and I just spent some time with him and got through some hard sessions.

“It has only taken me a month to lose that weight and now that I’ve got myself right physically and mentally I just want to play every week for the rest of the year.”

Having finally overcome the quad injury that has restricted him to just four games this season, Schuster can’t wait to get back on the paddock in Newcastle on Sunday and try to help Manly return to the top eight for the first time since Round 9.

Coming off three try assists, three line break assists and a try in the 42-14 win over the Raiders, Schuster heads into Round 13 full of confidence but well aware that the absence of superstars Tom Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans on Origin duty makes the job that much tougher.

Schuster was a frustrated spectator when the two sides fought out a 32-32 draw in Mudgee in Round 5 and would go on to miss two more matches before returning for the Round 8 win over Wests Tigers.

Another three-week lay-off followed before he got his shot in Canberra on Sunday and delivered the sort of performance he knew he had in him if he just put in the hard work and eliminated the distractions.

“I copped some stick earlier in the year so the first thing I did was delete my social media for a month. I needed that time out to put my head down and work hard,” Schuster said.

“We are human, we have our feelings and emotions, so it does hurt seeing that stuff [on social media] but at end of day it just motivates me to put my head down and play good footy.

“I’ve got good people around me here and they are the ones I listen to.

“Daly [Cherry-Evans] is the best bloke I’ve ever met in my life. He has a genuine care about me, he is always messaging me to see how I am.

“I can’t speak highly enough of him, he has done so much for me so far and I will continue to learn off him.

“I love playing footy and I just want to put my head down and work hard and play well for my teammates.”