Rabbitohs decision to release Damien Cook under the microscope after Cameron Murray's devastating injury
Updated . First published at
Brad Fittler believes the departure of Damien Cook will be felt by the Rabbitohs even harder after the double blow at training on Wednesday, with Cameron Murray suffering a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon and Latrell Mitchell injuring his hamstring.
It's understood Murray went down during the session and had to be helped from the club's training headquarters at Heffron Park. Reports claim it was a non-contact injury.
Murray is "not expected to be available to play in the coming months," according to the club. There is potential that he could miss the entire season.
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Darius Boyd was out for five months when he ruptured his Achilles at Brisbane in 2015.
Chief executive Blake Solly is remaining optimistic regarding Murray's return to play.
Cameron Murray of the Rabbitohs. Getty
"One thing I do know about Cameron is that it's always difficult putting timeframes on anything with him, because he generally beats them," he told reporters.
"He is such a professional athlete and determined competitor, so he will be back on the field as soon as he possibly can be."
Fittler believes the absence of experience in the middle could hurt the Rabbitohs most.
"He just generates so much of their speed and they've also lost their experienced hooker as well so I think they'd look back and love Cookie back at the moment with a bit more speed around that ruck," he said on 2GB's Wide World of Sports Radio.
"That puts so much pressure (on them) ... that's not good for Souths, they've lost a couple of real experienced players. I saw them in the trial match, they didn't go to bad in the trial match but it'll be interesting how they go this week."
Cameron Murray, Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker. Getty
Mitchell was able to leave the field on his own but his history of hamstring injuries will have the club on alert.
He tore his left hamstring in 2020 and 2022.
Murray has endured several injury setbacks in recent years, the most recent being a wrist complaint he picked up in the Pacific Championships.
That injury threatened to rule him out for five months but Murray recovered quickly and was set to play in the club's round one game against the Dolphins before Wednesday's training disaster.
