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.
The Sea Eagles want to get back to playing finals football after a dire end to the 2022 season which led to them missing out on the finals and the sacking of two-time premiership winning coach Des Hasler.
Seibold has made a strong start to his tenure as head coach with expansive wins over South Sydney and the Roosters, allowing Manly to win the inaugural NRL Pre-Season Challenge.
All eyes will be on Schuster when he returns from injury to partner captain Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves.
With 2011 premiership-winner Kieran Foran joining the Titans it will be vital that Schuster and his veteran skipper strike up a winning combination.