In the last three years, few NRL players have been interrogated more than Josh Schuster.
If it wasn’t his form, it was his fitness, and if it wasn’t his fitness, it was the $800,000 a year he was trousering as one of the NRL’s brightest prospects.
Doubtless he has been paid on the enormous potential he is trying hard to fulfil, as opposed to consistently high levels of performance. But that is the prerogative of an NRL club.
Some would say the scrutiny comes with the territory of being a highly paid professional rugby league player, as long as it’s within reason. Buy the ticket, take the ride.
But maybe some context is needed. For more than three years Schuster has been dealing with the death of his childhood friend right in front of him at Manly training. A companion with whom he was so close that he refused to let go of his hand as he sat with him on the floor of the club’s Narrabeen gym after he suffered a seizure.
With his head bowed and his throat choking with sobs as he gave his evidence, a window into Schuster’s world emerged inside a sterile courtroom during the coronial inquest into the death of former Sea Eagles player Keith Titmuss at a training session in November 2020.
Manly Sea Eagles player Josh Schuster attends the inquest into the death of former player Keith Titmuss.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
The court heard Schuster sat on the floor of the dojo with Titmuss, holding his hand even as Manly support staff and paramedics tried to clear the area to render emergency care.
Schuster had been close friends with Titmuss since kindergarten. They’d played junior footy together and, in the words of Schuster, they “wanted to play NRL and for their country [Samoa] together”. It was a dream they were well on the way to achieving.
As a cast of Manly officials at the time – including former coach Des Hasler – have climbed into the witness box to give their version of events on that fateful day, most of whom have broken down in tears during their evidence, it’s hard to think anyone outside Titmuss’ family has carried as much emotion as Schuster.
“I still believe a lot of the boys are affected by what happened,” Manly’s former head physio James Rahme told the inquest.
Apart from being a witness, Schuster has also attended other harrowing days of the hearing, sitting quietly in the courtroom offering support to the Titmuss family.
They now know the likely cause of Keith’s death was exertional heatstroke, ending an uncertainty which has lingered for years.
The inquest will continue this week. Deputy state coroner Derek Lee will then make recommendations, no doubt focused on how hard NRL players train in the opening weeks of pre-season and the number of medical personnel required at each session.
While the inquest might help with the grieving process for Titmuss’ family, it might also help Schuster. He is human, like all other players, and has carried this horrific tragedy in the early years of what is hopefully a long NRL career.
Josh Schuster.Credit: Getty
This pre-season hasn’t been easy either. He’s had a dose of chickenpox, a spiral fracture of his finger and a minor calf strain.
But Sea Eagles officials privately knew those setbacks were nothing compared to the Titmuss inquest on the horizon – and they know the narrative needs to change around Schuster, still only 22.
When Sea Eagles captain Daly Cherry-Evans publicly challenged Schuster over his standards last year, the rugby league world sat up and took notice. Those conversations are usually kept behind closed doors, but Cherry-Evans stared straight down the barrel of a television camera and didn’t miss.
His tune has been very different this year.
“Look, he’s had a really hard off season, to be completely honest,” Cherry-Evans said. “I don’t think now is the time to be challenging Josh about where he is at, The priority is just making sure he’s all good.
“Ask anyone who’s had setback after setback. It’s actually really hard, mentally, so it’s just making sure we’re supporting Josh at the moment ... because I know he’ll hold up his end of the bargain and work hard to get in the side.
“I don’t know when he’s back, I don’t know when he’s ready to play, but I just know he makes our team better when he’s fit and healthy, and I’m sure we’re going to be leaning on Josh this year.”
The Sea Eagles will play the Roosters in their main trial match next weekend before jetting off to Las Vegas for the historic double-header at Allegiant Stadium. It will be the start of a long climb back to the finals under coach Anthony Seibold.
Tom Trbojevic aside, maybe no player will have more of am influence on their fortunes this year than Schuster.
And possibly only now are we understanding what he’s really been going through.
with Billie Eder.
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