South Sydney Rabbitohs great Nathan Merritt has revealed two devastating stage 4 cancer diagnoses, as the NRL legend fights to “stay alive as long as possible”.

One of the games most prolific scorers had his world shattered after being delivered both oesophagus and liver cancer diagnosis within four months of each other.

The 42-year-old was given his oesophageal cancer diagnosis in November, but it only got worse for the father-of-five when a pain in his stomach turned out to be liver cancer in February.

The premiership player revealed the shocking news had been a hard reality for his family and children, aged between 11 and 21, to accept.

“I’ve been diagnosed with stage four cancer, oesophagus and liver cancer,” Merritt told the Daily Mail.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow for my kids and family. But it’s good – it’s going to be a tough one, but I’m going to fight through it.”

It is the latest health scare for the former State of Origin star, following an episode when he was placed on life support after having an dire reaction to prescribed pain medication on October 23, 2023.

Despite the gut-wrenching setbacks, Merritt continues to fight without knowing how long he has left to live.

“All of this treatment is now just about trying to maintain it with chemo, and doing my best to stay alive as long as possible,” he said.

Since retiring from the league in 2014, he founded the Nathan Merritt Foundation to provide support for Indigenous youth in the Redfern and South Sydney areas.

The former winger scored a staggering 154 tries over his 237-game career predominately with the Rabbitohs, with a brief Cronulla Sharks stint in between, and was a beloved player on the field.