Cameron Murray, Latrell Mitchell out injured for South Sydney Rabbitohs on eve of NRL season

South Sydney’s pre-season is in crisis with skipper Cameron Murray possibly out for the 2025 season and star fullback Latrell Mitchell set to miss the Charity Shield match this Saturday after both were injured during training on Wednesday.

Murray, who had a horror run with injury last year and was recovering from a wrist injury, has ruptured his Achilles.

Mitchell, who missed the last part of the 2024 season through injury, has tweaked his hamstring.

Souths said in statement Murray would not be on the field “in the coming months” but if his injury is not as bad as first thought he could return for the second half of the season.

Mitchell will get scans to determine the “extent of the injury”, South said. He missed part of the second half of the 2023 season after suffering a similar injury.

He played only 11 games last season due to a foot injury and his time off-field was marred by the now infamous white powder photo that led to him being suspended for one game. He served that ban during the Indigenous All Stars-Maori game last Saturday.

Murray was expected to be fit to play in the Rabbitohs’ round one match before today’s setback.

His suspected achilles injury continues a horror run of bad luck.

He missed part of last season with a hip injury, before suffering damage to his wrist while in end-of-season Kangaroos camp.

The Rabbitohs captain was then in a race against the clock to face the Dolphins in round one on March 7, with the wrist problem having lingered longer than expected.

That now appears the least of his concerns.

Campbell Graham (hand) and five-eighth Cody Walker (calf) are both also under an injury cloud ahead of that match.

Murray spoke only last week about trying to put the Rabbitohs’ long run of injuries out of his mind, after problems stunted their 2023 and 2024 campaigns.

“I try not to think too much about it, because if you think too much about it you just drive yourself crazy,” Murray told AAP at last Monday’s NRL season launch.

“We have had enough time over-thinking things, victimising ourselves.

“The only way to get over something like that is just control what you can.

“If you are unlucky enough to pick up an injury just deal with what you need to do with your rehab to get back out there.

“You can say: ‘Why is this happening to us?’. Or you can say: ‘This is happening to us, how do we come back from it?’.”

Winger Alex Johnston is in the latter stages of recovering from his Achilles injury suffered last July. His return date to play is yet to be confirmed.

With AAP