Manly Sea Eagles utility Aaron Schoupp suffered a nasty ACL injury to end his 2025 campaign which set alarm bells off for the off-contract centre and second-rower who was in the midst of contract extension talks.
Without a deal inked for 2026, Schoupp was staring down the barrel of a daunting recovery without a club to his name.
That was until, however, the Sea Eagles delivered on their promise of an extension, re-signing Schoupp for the 2026 season.
Speaking to Zero Tackle, Schoupp discussed how his rehabilitation process is tracking, admitting he's ahead of schedule in his comeback journey.
“Rehab is going good,” the 24-year-old said.
“Just did my first run in the last week of pre-season [before the Christmas break].”
He also revealed that being ahead of schedule means he will be back on the fielder sooner rather than later, with Manly fans now able to expect him back on the park within the first two months of the season.
“We're aiming for a return somewhere around Round 7, but not rushing it and letting [the ACL] fully heal before I come back,” Schoupp revealed.
Originally coming through as a centre, Schoupp's return is set to look slightly different to his Canterbury Bulldogs days, with a new position looming in his return to footy.
“It's bit of a funny one,” Schoupp admitted when discussing where he is set to play next season.
“Me and [head coach Anthony Seibold] sat down halfway through last year and spoke about what it looks like for me moving forward at the club.
“We both agreed that I could really make something of myself as a back-rower, so my sole focus when I get back is being able to play in the back-row but also slotting into the centres as well.
“So a bit of an edge utility-type role for me going into 2026.”
While the young edge star is eager to don the maroon and white once again next year, he admitted that once he copped the knee injury at the back-end of 2025, he feared he wouldn't be re-signed by the club.
He was soon proven wrong.
“I was off-contract [at the time of the injury], me and Manly had been in talks for a couple of weeks,” he said.
“We agreed to do a contract, it just hadn't been signed yet, and obviously when I went down and did my knee, I was sort of in the dark and a bit worried if the deal was gonna fall through.
“I'm very grateful that Manly decided to keep me on, I love being at the club and I was happy to stay for another year.”
Following a massive show of good faith by the Sea Eagles, Schoupp is hoping to repay his club when he returns in 2026, with an impact role off the bench his likely starting point as he gears up for an NRL comeback.
