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New Manly coach Anthony Seibold has guaranteed young gun Josh Schuster first crack at the No.6 jumper vacated by Kieran Foran.
Speaking for the first time since arriving at the club for pre-season, Seibold held a 15 minute press conference at Brookvale Oval on Tuesday when he outlined his plans for the Sea Eagles.
Seibold, who has just returned from England where he was coach Eddie Jones’ assistant with the English rugby union side, said Schuster has made a strong early impression over the first few weeks.
“I’ve had a lot to do with Josh over the last couple of weeks,” Seibold said.
“He’s started pre-season well, and he’s been consistent with his efforts over the first couple of weeks.
“But that’s the easy part of it.
“The challenge is for every player in the NRL to develop a lot for that grind, particularly in pre-season because it’s 12 weeks of hard work.
“And one thing I do know about pre-seasons if you get it right, individually and collectively, then that does have a transfer to when you start playing good footy.”
SCHUSTER IN THE HOT SEAT
The 21-year-old will enter next season under the spotlight, having made no secret of his desire to move out of the forwards into the halves and forcing Foran to leave.
“We certainly look at Josh as a No. 6 option,” Seibold said.
“Kieran Foran has now left the club. Josh is going to get an opportunity in that position, but we have a couple of other guys as well who’ll get a chance to train in that position.
“But we think that josh has a big opportunity to have first crack at that.”
WHAT MANLY GOT WRONG ON PRIDE JERSEY
Seibold comes to the club following the sacking of former coach Des Hasler. He has the task of returning the Sea Eagles to the finals after their season imploded following the pride jersey debacle.
However, the new coach denied there were lingering issues within the playing group from the contentious decision, which caused seven players to stand down from Manly’s Round-20 match to the Sydney Roosters, after which the side lost their remaining six games of the season.
“One thing I do know about any situation that occurs, education and communication are key,” Seibold said, referring to the Sea Eagles’ decision to wear the pride jersey without consulting the playing group.
“When the time is right, and if that needs to be addressed, then we will be like every family, get our challenges on the table.
“It certainly hasn’t seemed to be a problem in the very short time you know communicating with the group.”
Recently appointed chief executive Tony Mestrov, who was not in charge at the time, said “there’s no way that for whatever reason, the players shouldn’t have been communication to.”
