Rabbitohs fear as the star center is scheduled for surgery

The news that standout center Campbell Graham may miss up to six months due to a sternum injury has shocked the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Graham was plagued by the same injury during the 2023 season, which prevented him from playing in many Rabbitohs games and earning a State of Origin shirt.

Graham may not make a comeback until July or maybe into August, by which point the NRL season would be drawing to an end. The Rabbitohs stated in a statement that he will miss up to six months.

“Rabbitohs centre Campbell Graham will undergo surgery next week to repair damage to his sternum which will see him sidelined for up to six months,” the club said in a statement.
“Graham trained over the off-season and played through the ailment throughout the 2023 campaign, but it has been decided to operate on the injured area.

“Graham is expected to be back on the field for South Sydney at the back end of the regular season.”

Eyebrows will be raised at the club over the management of the injury. Given it heavily impacted Graham’s 2023 campaign, off-season surgery and a return in the early weeks of the season could well have been the best policy.

Instead, Graham, an important cog in South Sydney’s machine, will now miss much of the 2024 campaign.

The Rabbitohs are still reeling from their dismal 2023 fadeout, which saw the club sink from the top of the table after 11 rounds to missing the finals series.

Defensive issues plagued the second half of the season, and it’s little surprise Graham missed a number of those games.

Rated as one of the best defensive centres in the competition, Graham will now likely be replaced by Isaiah Tass, who earns a reprieve as Jack Wighton prepares to take the spot he held last year.