Manly have suffered a blow on the cusp of Anthony Seibold’s first NRL game as coach with five-eighth Josh Schuster ruled out of the round-one clash with Canterbury.

Schuster sustained a calf injury in Friday’s 28-16 victory over the Sydney Roosters in the Pre-Season Challenge with MRI scans on Tuesday confirming his much-awaited crack at shining in the No.6 jersey will be delayed.

The 21-year-old will be unavailable for the home game against the Bulldogs at 4 Pines Park on Saturday, March 4.

With the Sea Eagles having a second-round bye, Schuster is expected to be fit for the home round-three showdown with 2022 grand finalists and fierce rivals Parramatta.

Schuster’s unavailability will provide an early opportunity for either Cooper Johns or Kaeo Weekes.

Seibold said Weekes was a standout against the Roosters where he started at fullback and had three try assists and a line break, while running for 130m.

The 21-year-old Weekes, who played three NRL games in 2022, is also a playmaker and it was his creativity and ability to set up his supports that impressed against a strong Roosters outfit.

Johns, 23, played both trials in the halves and has more NRL experience than Weekes after playing 11 NRL games for Melbourne in the past three seasons.