He’s saying he’s the MVP of the pre-season tournament’: Cooper Johns set for Sea Eagles debut
The Sea Eagles are set to turn to a former Storm playmaker to fill in for the injured Josh Schuster in round 1.
Cooper Johns has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Josh Schuster after the young playmaker was ruled out of Manly’s season opener with a calf injury.
Johns joined the club in the off-season from the Storm but could step into the halves alongside skipper Daly Cherry-Evans after helping the Sea Eagles claim the inaugural pre-season challenge.
Cooper Johns looks set to make his club debut next week. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images
Kaeo Weekes is another option to play five-eighth after impressing with his blistering speed.
Johns set up two tries in the opening win over South Sydney and then kicked the Roosters into submission in Gosford last week to show new coach Anthony Seibold that he’s the man for the job.
“Cooper Johns is walking around saying he’s the MVP of the pre-season tournament, so he’s expecting to be named there,” Cherry-Evans joked.
“I’m not sure if the coaching staff have named anyone just yet, but I know Coops will be more than happy to put his hand up.
“Jokes aside, he did have a really good pre-season. I know we have a bit more depth behind him at our club, which is really good.”
Scans confirmed that Schuster had suffered a torn ligament in the first half of Friday’s win over the Roosters, with the club hopeful he’ll be back in round 3 after their bye.
It’s a cruel blow for Schuster, who skipped last year’s World Cup to get his body right after a frustrating season in which he struggled to get much game time with Kieran Foran keeping him out of the halves.
“It’s not ideal or what I wanted. I just pulled up tight in the trial and had scans yesterday … I’ll be out for 2-3 weeks,” he said, declaring this the best pre-season he’s had in years.
“It’s disappointing. At the end of the day, I can’t really do anything. It’s back to the drawing board and I’ve got to continue to work hard so I can be back as soon as possible.
“It’s a big year for me, and I know that. It’s a part of the game, injuries, so I’ve got to continue keeping positive and move forward.”
Losing Schuster is a setback for a Manly side desperate to bounce back from last year’s collapse, and while there are high hopes for the new halves combination, Cherry-Evans warned that it would take time.
The veteran halfback referenced the 2021 reunion with Foran when Manly lost their first four games with Tom Trbojevic out injured as an example of how combinations take time to build even if they look great on paper.
“It usually doesn’t happen as quickly as you’d like it to happen,” said Cherry-Evans, who didn’t play in either of the trials.
“You probably remember when Foz (Foran) came back to the club and everyone assumed we’d go off and everything would be normal again, but we lost our first four games.
“I’m not saying that we’re destined to lose our first four games, but it’s a good example that these things take time.
“While he’s (Schuster) not available for round 1, when he does come back we will have had a few more weeks where we will have worked on our combination. He’ll be a big part of our team this year, but we’ve got to wait a while.
“He’s been an integral part of our pre-season so far, but these things happen. I’m sure it’ll help him strengthen up for when he does return.”
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