A wrist injury could keep South Sydney captain Cameron Murray out of action for up to five months.
Murray, while representing the Kangaroos in the Pacific Championships tournament, sustained the injury in camp and likely won’t return until March, which would result in him missing the entire pre-season and possibly the first few matches of Souths’ 2025 campaign.
It’s a hit to returning super coach Wayne Bennett’s hopes of hitting the ground running in his second stint with South Sydney after penning a three-year deal with the cardinal and myrtle.
Souths missed the finals in 2023 and 2024, the poor start to the latter season spelling the end for ex-coach Jason Demetriou.
Bennett backs Latrell to regain top form
In more encouraging news for Souths supporters, Latrell Mitchell is already sweating it out in off-season training as he attempts to put his career back on track with Bennett confident the troubled fullback can bounce back to his best in 2025.
The 27-year-old star fullback has reportedly installed a home gymnasium with weights, yoga mats and sauna after having a bar area removed as part of his bid to get back to peak fitness for next season.
Mitchell is not due to start pre-season training until later next month but after his 2024 campaign went off the rails due to fitness concerns and then the white-powder scandal when he was photographed in a compromising position, the former NSW and Australian representative is doing all he can to restore his image.
He has already shed 5kg from his bulky frame to better equip himself for the high level of fitness required to play fullback at NRL level.
Bennett told NewsCorp that he was certain that Mitchell would silence his critics next season.
The NRL rejected South Sydney’s application to have Mitchell serve his white-powder suspension in the final round of last season, pushing the ban back to Round 1.
In addition to his ban, Mitchell will pay $20,000 in NRL-imposed fines and $20,000 up front to the Rabbitohs over his white-powder saga.
“Latrell’s fitness won’t be an issue for me,” Bennett said. “I haven’t spoken to Latrell lately but if he’s in shape that’s great to hear.
“He has been dealt with by the NRL and the club (with the white-powder sanctions). I’m not there with Latrell at the moment but I’ll know a lot more about him in a month’s time.”
Mitchell was reportedly close to getting the sack after fronting the board – the Rabbitohs will trigger an additional $80,000 in fines if their star player reoffends.
Latrell Mitchell. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
The white-powder saga is set to round out a miserable year for both Mitchell and the 15th-placed Rabbitohs, who finished in the bottom four just two years after making a preliminary final.
Mitchell raised eyebrows with an expletive-laden radio cross in March, then missed three games for raising his elbow into Shaun Johnson’s face while coach Jason Demetriou was sacked the next month, replaced by interim Ben Hornby.
He surged back to form to star for NSW in the second State of Origin match, only to suffer his foot injury in the round-18 win over Parramatta and miss game three.
“They are all professionals and Ben Hornby did a great job late in the season,” Bennett added. “Souths were in a tough place (after Demetriou’s exit), but they got out of that and they are back to being a footy team again.”