Josh Schuster has been granted an NRL lifeline at South Sydney next season, but only one man can truly turn the enigmatic star's career around. And no, that man is not the legendary Wayne Bennett. In a bold move by the incoming head coach, Schuster officially put pen to paper on a one-year deal with the Rabbitohs, just months after he was let go by Manly. The 23-year-old has dealt with form and fitness issues for the past few years, casting doubt over whether or not he would reach his potential in the sport. While many believe Bennett is the perfect coach to unlock Schuster's talent, Andrew Johns has instead put the onus on the Samoan international to perform. "We keep saying 'if' but it's gotta be when [he performs] and it's not up to Wayne - it's up to Josh," he said on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and The Eighth. "Hopefully he has sorted his off-field stuff out and is focused. "Everyone knows the talent, but it's up to Josh. If he commits to training and he's rock-hard fit, he would be the most creative player in the game - he's a freak." After turning his heads in 2020 with his NRL debut at five-eighth, which Benji Marshall described as the best debut performance he'd ever seen, Schuster had his best year in first grade the following season, establishing himself in the back-row in what eas supposed to be an apprenticeship while Kieran Foran wore the No.6 jersey. The Sea Eagles always had designs to move him into the halves alongside Daly Cherry-Evans but when they allowed Foran to leave that plan ultimately backfired. Schuster's move to the Bunnies has again raised question marks over his best position, with former NSW coach Brad Fittler weighing in. "The comments [from Bennett] was that he looked pretty fit," he said. "That in itself for Josh would be the game-breaker, to be fit. If he ever got rock-hard fit, he'd be dangerous on the field. He's exciting and he can play a few positions. "I think he'd be a great old-school lock forward." Johns disagreed with Fittler's selection due to Schuster's fitness. "For me, he's a five-eighth," he said. "I don't think he's got the work rate to play in the middle." It appears likely that Schuster will be used in a bench utility role given the presence of Cody Walker in the No.6 jumper and the fact that the club's captain, Cameron Murray, has a mortgage on the lock position for the cardinal and myrtle.
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