Schuster set for first game in a year; Manly prepare two-year deal for Fogarty

Josh Schuster is set to play his first game in more than a year as he pushes to make his Rabbitohs debut this weekend.

Schuster recently returned to the training paddock after overcoming a calf issue and while not named for South Sydney’s NSW Cup side on Sunday, he has been given the green light by club medical staff to play.

The 23-year-old is expected to play limited minutes against North Sydney at Gosford on Sunday afternoon in what would be a significant milestone for the Rabbitohs recruit.

Schuster is believed to have lost around 10kg as his fitness has improved at South Sydney, having battled ongoing calf issues since arriving at the club on a one-year lifeline from Wayne Bennett.

An undoubted talent, Schuster walked away from the final three years of his deal with Manly last season, accepting a $1 million severance package and sacrificing an even greater seven-figure sum to focus on his mental and physical health.

Schuster last played at NSW Cup level for Manly’s feeder club Blacktown Workers almost exactly one year ago before taking a step back from the game.

Josh Schuster is eyeing a return to the game.Credit: NRL Imagery

He last played NRL for the Sea Eagles in August, 2023.

Schuster rotated through the five-eighth role with Latrell Mitchell during Monday’s training session at Heffron Park, though any potential first-grade return is still several weeks away.

Injured Rabbitohs veteran Cody Walker is an outside chance of returning from his hamstring injury in next week’s marquee Good Friday clash against Canterbury. Centre Campbell Graham is targeting the same game for his comeback from a calf tear, though Walker is more likely to return against Melbourne on Anzac Day.

Big money English recruit Lewis Dodd will also be available again for the Bulldogs game after being suspended this week, though Bud Sullivan sits ahead of him in the Rabbitohs playmaking pecking order.

Fogarty expected to replace Cherry-Evans at Manly on two-year deal

Adrian Proszenko

Canberra is unlikely to take up Jamal Fogarty’s one-year option for 2025, clearing the path for the halfback to replace Daly Cherry-Evans at Manly.

The Raiders are open to the prospect of Fogarty remaining in the nation’s capital until the end of next season, but don’t want to block an opportunity for him to secure a longer contract elsewhere.

Given that the Sea Eagles are prepared to offer him a two-year deal, the Green Machine are open to letting the 31-year-old go with their blessing. Manly were planning to shift Tom Trbojevic from fullback to five-eighth if they missed out on the signature of Fogarty.

However, Fogarty is expected to instead replace Cherry-Evans in a move that allows Trbojevic to retain the No.1 jersey.

The Raiders have invested in youth and believe Ethan Sanders, recruited from Parramatta, can be the club’s long-term No.7. Sanders has made two NRL appearances for the Eels but will get the chance to cement a first-grade spot if Fogarty departs.

Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty.Credit: Getty Images

The Sea Eagles have two outstanding halves prospects in Joe Walsh and Onitoni Large, but they are unlikely to be ready for regular first grade for another two seasons. Fogarty is viewed as a bridging player until the youngsters are ready to make the step up.

Negotiations for Fogarty to shift to Manly are expected to ramp up after the weekend.

Lomax out for up to two months as Origin toll mounts for NSW

Dan Walsh

Eels star signing Zac Lomax will miss up to the next two months and potentially Origin I for NSW after playing on with a broken foot and kicking a golden point field goal against his old club St George Illawarra.

Lomax suffered “a minor fracture” in his left foot according the club and pulled up clutching at the injury with two minutes to go in regulation time against the Dragons.

He then missed a golden point drop-goal attempt before nailing the match-winner in the 83rd minute with his natural right foot.

Parramatta are hopeful Lomax could be back within six weeks, which would keep him in the frame for Laurie Daley’s first Blues side ahead of the May 28 series opener.

Eels match-winner Zac Lomax is now out for at least six weeks.Credit: Getty Images

Daley will name his NSW squad after round 11, which concludes on May 18 in seven weeks time.

Lomax would be a near-certain selection given his stunning debut campaign for the Blues last season and his impressive form in a struggling Parramatta side. Lomax joins the likes of strike centre Tom Trbojevic (knee) and winger Brian To’o (hamstring) as NSW stars currently sidelined, though both are expected to return at club level a few weeks ahead of Origin I.

The Eels originally named Lomax to start on the wing against Canberra this Saturday in Darwin before further scans revealed his fracture. Bailey Simonsson looms as a potential replacement after returning from an ACL rupture last week via NSW Cup, while Haze Dunster is also back from a hamstring issue.

$1.25 million halfback and club captain Mitchell Moses is also on track to return from his own foot injury at Magic Round for the beleaguered Eels, with some hope that he could be back as early as next week for an Easter Monday showdown with Wests Tigers.

Moses is most likely to be given an extra week’s recovery given Parramatta have the bye between clashes with the Tigers and Cronulla, but CEO Jim Sarantinos told SEN radio that an early return was still a possibility.

“As it stands, I think Mitch is definitely on track to return for round nine,” Sarantinos said.

“But subject to how the next couple of weeks go, there may be an outside chance of round seven.

“But I think the medical staff are certainly focusing on a round nine return, and with a bit of luck, it may be a bit earlier. When we get him back, we want to him back for the rest of the year.”

Burton on track for return, but doubts about Kikau

Christian Nicolussi

Matt Burton remains on track for a Good Friday return, but his Bulldogs teammate Viliame Kikau says he is no certainty to overcome a knee injury in time for the showdown with South Sydney.

The Dogs will enjoy a bye this weekend after starting the season with five straight wins, including their last three games without five-eighth Burton and back-rower Kikau.

Viliame Kikau is pushing hard to be back for Good FridayCredit: NRL Photos

While the rest of the squad enjoys a few days off later in the week, Burton and Kikau will continue their rehabilitation.

Kikau suffered a grade-two tear of his MCL in his right knee against Gold Coast, which was the same knee he injured in 2019 when he was with Penrith.

He is keen to return in front a crowd that could reach 60,000 at Accor Stadium next week, but the fact the Dogs continued to win meant he had the luxury of being cautious.

“Me and Burto took the field last Sunday for our first run, I need to run again today [Tuesday], and we’ll see how stable the knee is,” Kikau said.

“I still need to keep coming in to tick a few boxes. There really is no need to rush back because the boys have been playing well.

“I’m taking my time to make sure the knee gets all the treatment it needs. The boys are back Sunday, but even then I won’t do full contact.”

The Dogs take on Souths before a round-seven match in Brisbane against the Broncos.

Kikau said the one thing he had noticed most about this year’s Canterbury side was the lack of panic.

“Last year as soon as things went against us, we would do things we weren’t doing at training, but this year’s we’ve been way more patient,” Kikau said.

Meanwhile, coach Cameron Ciraldo shouted the entire playing group and coaching staff a coffee on Tuesday after his side kept the Knights to zero. The coach made a pact with the club he would pay for coffees whenever his team kept an opposition scoreless.

Manly forced into parking their Saab

Robert Dillon

Jason Saab is expected to join Tom Trbojevic and Tommy Talau on the sidelines, but Manly coach Anthony Seibold is more concerned about a lack of midfield muscle than his depleted backline.

Saab suffered a suspected syndesmosis, or high-ankle, sprain, and limped off in the dying minutes of Sunday’s 48-24 loss to Melbourne at Brookvale Oval.

The 24-year-old appears at long odds to make the trip to Perth for Manly’s clash with Cronulla at Optus Stadium on Saturday.

“I think Saaby’s got to look at a high ankle sprain there,” Seibold said.

“They tell me it’s minor, but yeah, I don’t know whether he’ll be available this week or not. Which would be disappointing for us and for Saaby, because he’s had a pretty fair start to this season.”

Saab, one of the NRL’s fastest players according to GPS tracking, had two surgeries last year to repair a syndesmosis in his left ankle, but Seibold said this injury was to his “other one”.

Jason Saab is facing a stint on the sidelines.Credit: Getty

Saab has been a consistent try poacher for Manly since joining them from St George Illawarra in 2021, crossing the stripe 67 times in 91 games.

With Trbojevic out for at least a month after straining a medial ligament in his kneeagainst Parramatta, and centre Tommy Talau still to make an appearance this season as he recovers from an ankle injury, Seibold’s backline resources are stretched thin.

Between them, Trbojevic, Saab and Talau scored 47 of Manly’s 118 tries last season.

But after Melbourne’s dominant performance on Sunday, Seibold’s main concern was Manly’s inability to break even in the battle up front.

Tom Trbojevic is nursing a knee injury.Credit: Getty Images

He pointed out that from an attacking perspective, the Sea Eagles created plenty of opportunities and came up with four tries.

“It could have got really ugly there at one stage, but we kept fighting, and strangely it was nine line breaks each,” Seibold said.

Defensively, however, Seibold was disappointed that Manly were unable to contain Melbourne’s imposing pack.

“We’ve just got to physically be better with our first contact,” he said. “Somehow when good teams get that momentum, we’ve got to try and wrestle it back.”

Meanwhile, Manly bench forward Corey Waddell is facing a minimum of two games on the sidelines after being charged with a grade-two careless high tackle on Melbourne’s Tyran Wishart on Sunday.

If Manly were to unsuccessfully challenge the charge at the judiciary, Waddell would be banned for three games.

Dragon-slayer Lomax happy with life on the wing

Robert Dillon

Zac Lomax insists he is happy to keep playing on the wing after helping Parramatta to their first win of the season.

Lomax starred in the Eels’ 23-22 victory against his former St George Illawarra teammates at CommBank Stadium on Saturday, kicking a long-range penalty goal to take the game into extra time, then landing a golden-point field goal in the 84th minute to clinch the result.

The 25-year-old played seven seasons and 114 games for the Dragons before securing a release at the end of last year, ostensibly because he did not agree with new coach Shane Flanagan’s decision to switch him from his preferred centre role to wing.

That move ironically proved to be the launchpad for Lomax’s representative career, earning him selection for NSW Origin and the Kangaroos last season.

While Lomax wore the No.4 jersey on Saturday, he played mainly outside Will Penisini on the right flank and says he is happy to stay there if coach Jason Ryles believes that is the best scenario for the team.

“Rylesy just wants me to be on the ball and obviously we’ve had a few different halves as well, in regards to our combinations,” Lomax said. “Playing on the wing at the moment, it just allows me to get my hands on the ball more than not.

“Being able to touch the ball more times than not helps. Wherever it is, I don’t care where I’m at.

Parra players swamp Zac Lomax after his game-breaking field goal.Credit: Getty Images

“There’s obviously a lot of talk about it in regards to that, but my teammates know that wherever it is that’s going to help us win, I’ll be ready for it.

“Wherever that is, I actually don’t care, to be fair. I just want to get my hands on the ball as much as possible and hopefully get us a win.”

As well as his heroics with the boot, Lomax carried the ball 188 metres in attack, which included a team-high 84 metres post-contact.

He appeared to be in tears at full-time, although his insisted later his emotions were not so much about beating “some of my best mates”, but because the Eels had secured a breakthrough win after opening the season with four successive defeats.

“I was super-stoked to be able to win after losing the first four games,” Lomax said.

“It just doesn’t show where our efforts have been because we’ve worked so hard and our pre-season has been so long and there’s been so much change.

“It obviously hasn’t reflected the results, but that was the main thing. We needed to get a win and obviously it’s my previous club.”

Lomax said some Dragons players “heckled me a little bit” before his crucial penalty goal and revealed his relief after landing the decisive one-pointer.

“I just had to get the job done because that’s the worst thing – you go for the field goal and you miss,” he said.

“It’s a 20-minute restart, so you’ve just got to get it done. And thank God we did. We’re just over it.”

Ryles said he had regularly seen Lomax kick booming 40-metre field goals at training.

“He does things in big moments … it’s one of his strengths,” Ryles said.

While Lomax stole the headlines, the other standout for Parramatta was rookie fullback Isaiah Iongi, who made 222 metres in attack and scored a crucial try.

Iongi’s classy display countered the two-try haul from Dragons co-captain Clint Gutherson, who, like Lomax, was playing against his former club for the first time.

“Apart from Junior [Paulo], I think he’s been our most consistent player … he’s a talent and I’m glad we’ve got him,” Ryles said of Iongi, who joined the Eels from Penrith at the end of last season.

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