- Josh Schuster now lives on $400 a week
- He says he is very happy with the current situation.
- Star needed a break from the pressure of the NRL
Talented football star Josh Schuster has opened up about walking away from his contract with Manly, his mental health issues and how he is now happier than he has been in a long time.
Manly sacked the 23-year-old last month after the club gave him an indefinite break from the game to deal with personal issues.
Now Schuster lives with his parents in the house in Liverpool and loves to take a break from everything.
“Getting away from the game has made me the happiest I’ve been in a long time,” he said. News Corporation.
Josh Schuster says he is happier than he has been in a long time after moving away from Manly
Manly sacked the 23-year-old last month after the club gave him an indefinite break from the game to deal with personal issues.
The talented striker had a $3.2 million contract with Manly, but Schuster is not angry about the missed opportunity.
The young man owns several investment properties and his mother helps him manage his finances.
“She gives me $400 a week to live on,” Schuster said.
‘Sometimes a little more but the rest goes to savings or investments.
“Anyway, being happy is better than having a lot of money.”
The time he was out of the game made Schuster feel that a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders and the footballer also received professional help from a psychologist.
“It’s helping me a lot,” he said.
‘For the first time I felt comfortable to open up a little and talk to my psychologist about it.
“These are things I’ve been struggling with for a long time and now I’ve been able to get it off my chest and I feel a lot better about it.
“It’s very important for my mind and it’s very important to resolve it before I play again.”
Last month, Benji Marshall endorsed Schuster, for whom he has genuine sympathy.
“Let me say this: He’s a really talented, really good kid,” Marshall said.
You probably have some issues you’re dealing with right now. But if he did well, there’s no reason why he can’t be a good player in the NRL. Without reason.
Former Manly star said ‘being happy is better than having a lot of money’
“I think there is a perception that it is over.
“But if he got fit and had something to prove with resentment, with the right system he could be huge.”
Marshall knows the pressure that can be put on youngsters as well as anyone, having been a teenage star for the Tigers.
And he believed Schuster still had the ability to succeed as a five-eighth or back-rower in the NRL, once he got things right.
‘What does he want to do? That’s probably the most important question,” Marshall said.
‘We have seen his talent. No doubt. It’s too early to rule it out. I think he’s a really good guy.’