The NRL career of Josh Schuster could be over after he was one of nine players released by South Sydney on Friday.
It means the 24-year-old does not have a contract with an NRL club for 2026 and his future in rugby league is again under a cloud.
He was thrown a lifeline by the Rabbitohs this season with hopes coach Wayne Bennett could revive the maligned young half’s career.
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But he failed to play a game in first grade and has now been cut.
Schuster previously played 50 NRL games across four seasons for Manly.
Rabbitohs recruit Josh Schuster. Getty
He inked a lucrative long-term contract in 2023 which would have netted him $800,000 a season until the end of 2027.
But he failed to even make it to 2025, being cut loose by the Sea Eagles last year with a reported $1m golden handshake.
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He battled several injuries and his commitment to fitness was questioned constantly by people inside and outside the club.
“Josh has had some challenges in life and I don’t know whether football has been an asset or a hindrance to him,” Phil Gould said earlier this year when Schuster joined the Bunnies.
“He’s not there to save the Rabbitohs – they are there to save him.”
The other players leaving the Rabbitohs are Jacob Host, Siliva Havili, Shaquai Mitchell, Ben Lovett, Fletcher Myers, Mikaele Ravalawa, Gerome Burns, and Haizyn Mellars.