Coach Anthony Seibold has laid down the challenge to enigmatic Manly star Josh Schuster to "own his career" as the Sea Eagles walk the NRL finals tightrope ahead of a crunch match with Penrith.
Precariously positioned one competition point outside the top eight with four rounds remaining, Manly can afford no more slip-ups if they're to control their finals destiny.
Seibold needs his charges to fire up against the benchmark Panthers at 4 Pines Park on Thursday night and may have deliberately placed a rocket under Schuster.
The classy five-eighth has blown hot and cold all season but, with Wests Tigers playmaker Luke Brooks bound for Brookvale next year, Schuster is under pressure to deliver consistently to justify his $800,000 annual pay packet.
Seibold credited Schuster with getting Manly back into last week's game against the Sydney Roosters with a second-half surge but wants to see more 80-minute performances from the 22-year-old.
"That's the challenge for myself and the coaching staff, and that is his challenge - he needs to own his career," Seibold said on Wednesday.
"We've seen in games and glimpses, like in the last 20 minutes of last week’s game, he had a significant influence to get us back in the game.
"He just has got to do it for longer periods, and he is working towards that. We are working towards that.
"He's certainly not the finished product but that's my job to guide him over the next couple of years to be the finished product."
Schuster is signed until the end of 2027 but will almost certainly be shifted to the back row next season to accommodate Brooks in the halves with skipper Daly Cherry-Evans.
With speculation rife the Eagles are significantly above the salary cap, Schuster could well find himself being shopped around if he under-performs and Manly are forced to offload talent.
Seibold's more immediate concern is somehow conjuring a Manly bounce-back victory over the defending premiers a week after falling 26-16 to the Roosters to remain outside the eight.
"Penrith are a team that test the opposition the most with what they do on both sides of the footy, so what an opportunity to test ourselves," he said.
"That's the way to look at it - as an opportunity - rather than looking at it from a negative point of view."
While the visit of Penrith has been described as a must-win match for the Sea Eagles, the coach doesn't agree.
"We're one point out of the eight so I don't necessarily think it's our season, because we're in it. We're in this race for the top eight," Seibold said.
"Whatever happens over the rest of the weekend, we can only control what happens on Thursday."
Penrith on Wednesday received an exemption from the NRL to add hooker Luke Sommerton to their squad after starting dummy-half Mitch Kenny and five-eighth Jarome Luai were ruled out of the Manly clash.
Kenny failed to complete the captain’s run while Luai will miss out through illness.
