The 50-game career of former Manly wunderkind Josh Schuster appears over after he was cut by South Sydney after failing to play an NRL game with the Rabbitohs.
Schuster, 24, who once signed a $2.4m deal with the Sea Eagles before injury, form and mental health struggles, was one of nine players officially cut on Friday.
Superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell’s brother, Shaquai, was among the names of those let go by coach Wayne Bennett.
Schuster was given a lifeline by Bennett after having also had his contract with Manly ended.
But he struggled to find form and continuity, making just five appearances in the NSW Cup and failed to crack the NRL side.
Jacob Host, Siliva Havili, Ben Lovett, Fletcher Myers, Mikaele Ravalawa, Gerome Burns and Haizyn Mellars were the other players not offered new contracts by Souths.
Mitchell, the younger brother of Origin and Kangaroos star Latrell, played 20 NRL games, all for South Sydney, since debuting in 2022. He also captained the Indigenous All Stars this season.
“Firstly, we would like to thank all of these players for their service to the Rabbitohs over the years,” Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said.
“They have all contributed to the club in various ways, whether it is on the field of play, helping prepare teams on the training ground or contributing to our community through Souths Cares and other initiatives.
“Jacob played in a grand final for our club in 2021 and has always given everything he has to the Rabbitohs jersey. Siliva and Shaq have also played representative football whilst at our club and we thank them for their efforts.
“I’d like to make special mention of Ben and Gerome, both whose careers will come to a premature end due to knee injuries which cannot be rehabilitated. They are shining examples to their teammates of the Rabbitohs spirit.
“They never gave up on their rehab journey with their knees, they gave everything of themselves to try and return to pull on the Rabbitohs jersey, but unfortunately they have had to make the difficult decision to retire from the game they love.
“On behalf of everyone at South Sydney, we wish all of these men and their families the very best of luck with their next moves, and they will always be regarded as part of the South Sydney Rabbitohs family.”
South Sydney won nine game in 2025 and finished 14th on the ladder after dealing with significant injury issues.
