Latest news with #Rabbitoh
7NEWS
05-07-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
NRL larrikin Brandon Smith back as Souths cop fresh injury blow to Euan Aitken
NRL larrikin Brandon Smith will make his long-awaited South Sydney club debut as the Rabbitohs cop another blow in a season of injury misfortune. Smith's NRL return comes against Manly some 308 days after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in what turned out to be his last game for the Sydney Roosters. When Smith joined Souths in May, coach Wayne Bennett flagged low expectations of the forward hitting top form on his return from injury this year. But Bennett confirmed on Saturday the 2020 premiership winner will come on from the bench at Brookvale Oval following a leg injury to Euan Aitken. '(Smith) is pretty excited about it all, he's trained pretty well. Everything is right for him to go,' Bennett said. Souths are still determining Aitken's return-to-play timeline as the centre becomes the latest Rabbitoh to be struck down by injury in a difficult 2025 season. Latrell Mitchell, Alex Johnston, Cam Murray, Jamie Humphreys, Cody Walker and Campbell Graham are among key men to have spent time out of the side this year. The latest injury comes just as 16th-placed Souths appeared to be approaching full strength and could open up a spot for beleaguered Lewis Dodd to return to the halves. Signed before Bennett's coaching return was confirmed, the Englishman has been given only one chance to start in the halves at struggling Souths - at Magic Round amid a slew of injuries. But Bennett may now have little option other than to shift Jack Wighton from five-eighth to Aitken's centre spot and promote Dodd from his bench. Bennett was reluctant to detail Dodd's path into favour at the Rabbitohs as speculation mounts he could be forced out of the club. 'He knows and I know so we'll leave it at that. I don't really want to make it public. It's nothing to do with anybody else,' the coach said. Anthony Seibold insists Tom Trbojevic is happy staying at centre for a consecutive week after a controversial shift from fullback for Manly's win over Wests Tigers. 'He actually said he enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity. He's had a good week's preparation,' the Manly coach said. 'He's the current Kangaroos centre, he's played for the Blues at centre so he's an elite centre as well as an elite fullback.'
The Advertiser
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Brandon Smith in as Souths cop fresh injury blow
NRL larrikin Brandon Smith will make his long-awaited South Sydney club debut as the Rabbitohs cop another blow in a season of injury misfortune. Smith's NRL return comes against Manly some 308 days after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in what turned out to be his last game for the Sydney Roosters. When Smith joined Souths in May, coach Wayne Bennett flagged low expectations of the forward hitting top form on his return from injury this year. But Bennett confirmed on Saturday the 2020 premiership winner will come on from the bench at Brookvale Oval following a leg injury to Euan Aitken. "(Smith) is pretty excited about it all, he's trained pretty well. Everything is right for him to go," Bennett said. Souths are still determining Aitken's return-to-play timeline as the centre becomes the latest Rabbitoh to be struck down by injury in a difficult 2025 season. Latrell Mitchell, Alex Johnston, Cam Murray, Jamie Humphreys, Cody Walker and Campbell Graham are among key men to have spent time out of the side this year. The latest injury comes just as 16th-placed Souths appeared to be approaching full strength and could open up a spot for beleaguered Lewis Dodd to return to the halves. Signed before Bennett's coaching return was confirmed, the Englishman has been given only one chance to start in the halves at struggling Souths - at Magic Round amid a slew of injuries. But Bennett may now have little option other than to shift Jack Wighton from five-eighth to Aitken's centre spot and promote Dodd from his bench. Bennett was reluctant to detail Dodd's path into favour at the Rabbitohs as speculation mounts he could be forced out of the club. "He knows and I know so we'll leave it at that. I don't really want to make it public. It's nothing to do with anybody else," the coach said. Anthony Seibold insists Tom Trbojevic is happy staying at centre for a consecutive week after a controversial shift from fullback for Manly's win over Wests Tigers. "He actually said he enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity. He's had a good week's preparation," the Manly coach said. "He's the current Kangaroos centre, he's played for the Blues at centre so he's an elite centre as well as an elite fullback." NRL larrikin Brandon Smith will make his long-awaited South Sydney club debut as the Rabbitohs cop another blow in a season of injury misfortune. Smith's NRL return comes against Manly some 308 days after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in what turned out to be his last game for the Sydney Roosters. When Smith joined Souths in May, coach Wayne Bennett flagged low expectations of the forward hitting top form on his return from injury this year. But Bennett confirmed on Saturday the 2020 premiership winner will come on from the bench at Brookvale Oval following a leg injury to Euan Aitken. "(Smith) is pretty excited about it all, he's trained pretty well. Everything is right for him to go," Bennett said. Souths are still determining Aitken's return-to-play timeline as the centre becomes the latest Rabbitoh to be struck down by injury in a difficult 2025 season. Latrell Mitchell, Alex Johnston, Cam Murray, Jamie Humphreys, Cody Walker and Campbell Graham are among key men to have spent time out of the side this year. The latest injury comes just as 16th-placed Souths appeared to be approaching full strength and could open up a spot for beleaguered Lewis Dodd to return to the halves. Signed before Bennett's coaching return was confirmed, the Englishman has been given only one chance to start in the halves at struggling Souths - at Magic Round amid a slew of injuries. But Bennett may now have little option other than to shift Jack Wighton from five-eighth to Aitken's centre spot and promote Dodd from his bench. Bennett was reluctant to detail Dodd's path into favour at the Rabbitohs as speculation mounts he could be forced out of the club. "He knows and I know so we'll leave it at that. I don't really want to make it public. It's nothing to do with anybody else," the coach said. Anthony Seibold insists Tom Trbojevic is happy staying at centre for a consecutive week after a controversial shift from fullback for Manly's win over Wests Tigers. "He actually said he enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity. He's had a good week's preparation," the Manly coach said. "He's the current Kangaroos centre, he's played for the Blues at centre so he's an elite centre as well as an elite fullback." NRL larrikin Brandon Smith will make his long-awaited South Sydney club debut as the Rabbitohs cop another blow in a season of injury misfortune. Smith's NRL return comes against Manly some 308 days after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in what turned out to be his last game for the Sydney Roosters. When Smith joined Souths in May, coach Wayne Bennett flagged low expectations of the forward hitting top form on his return from injury this year. But Bennett confirmed on Saturday the 2020 premiership winner will come on from the bench at Brookvale Oval following a leg injury to Euan Aitken. "(Smith) is pretty excited about it all, he's trained pretty well. Everything is right for him to go," Bennett said. Souths are still determining Aitken's return-to-play timeline as the centre becomes the latest Rabbitoh to be struck down by injury in a difficult 2025 season. Latrell Mitchell, Alex Johnston, Cam Murray, Jamie Humphreys, Cody Walker and Campbell Graham are among key men to have spent time out of the side this year. The latest injury comes just as 16th-placed Souths appeared to be approaching full strength and could open up a spot for beleaguered Lewis Dodd to return to the halves. Signed before Bennett's coaching return was confirmed, the Englishman has been given only one chance to start in the halves at struggling Souths - at Magic Round amid a slew of injuries. But Bennett may now have little option other than to shift Jack Wighton from five-eighth to Aitken's centre spot and promote Dodd from his bench. Bennett was reluctant to detail Dodd's path into favour at the Rabbitohs as speculation mounts he could be forced out of the club. "He knows and I know so we'll leave it at that. I don't really want to make it public. It's nothing to do with anybody else," the coach said. Anthony Seibold insists Tom Trbojevic is happy staying at centre for a consecutive week after a controversial shift from fullback for Manly's win over Wests Tigers. "He actually said he enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity. He's had a good week's preparation," the Manly coach said. "He's the current Kangaroos centre, he's played for the Blues at centre so he's an elite centre as well as an elite fullback."
The Age
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Age
The mystery rich-lister on stand-by to fly Matt Burton in for Origin duty
Matt Burton has been NSW 18th man twice as many times as he's taken the field for his state, but there's no questioning his commitment to the unwanted role. Not when the Bulldogs star was around for boots, mouthguard and a private plane owned by a 'good mate' worth a lazy $800 million just in case the Blues needed him for emergency duties once again. Burton's bye week leading into Origin I was interrupted by clubmate Stephen Crichton's game one injury scare, when the Canterbury skipper was in doubt right up until game day. Burton, who has taken the field twice for NSW since 2022 and been 18th man five times, was in his home town of Dubbo when the call came from Blues management. If Crichton wasn't fit, South Sydney's Campbell Graham would be called in to debut. And if he could get to Brisbane, Burton would be 18th man with the chance to play if any further late dramas struck or a HIA was caused by foul play. So he called Wes Maas – the Dubbo-raised one-time Rabbitoh, founder and majority owner of the Maas Group. After two games with Souths in 2002, Maas took a $14,000 bank loan, a bobcat and a tip truck and started a $1.5 billion construction materials and equipment company – which has since seen the 45-year-old's estimated worth pegged at $814 million last year. 'There wasn't going to be a flight straight from Dubbo to Brisbane, they'd been booked up, and obviously you want to give Critta as much time as possible to be right,' Burton said after joining NSW camp, again as 18th man, for game two in Perth.
Sydney Morning Herald
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
The mystery rich-lister on stand-by to fly Matt Burton in for Origin duty
Matt Burton has been NSW 18th man twice as many times as he's taken the field for his state, but there's no questioning his commitment to the unwanted role. Not when the Bulldogs star was around for boots, mouthguard and a private plane owned by a 'good mate' worth a lazy $800 million just in case the Blues needed him for emergency duties once again. Burton's bye week leading into Origin I was interrupted by clubmate Stephen Crichton's game one injury scare, when the Canterbury skipper was in doubt right up until game day. Burton, who has taken the field twice for NSW since 2022 and been 18th man five times, was in his home town of Dubbo when the call came from Blues management. If Crichton wasn't fit, South Sydney's Campbell Graham would be called in to debut. And if he could get to Brisbane, Burton would be 18th man with the chance to play if any further late dramas struck or a HIA was caused by foul play. So he called Wes Maas – the Dubbo-raised one-time Rabbitoh, founder and majority owner of the Maas Group. After two games with Souths in 2002, Maas took a $14,000 bank loan, a bobcat and a tip truck and started a $1.5 billion construction materials and equipment company – which has since seen the 45-year-old's estimated worth pegged at $814 million last year. 'There wasn't going to be a flight straight from Dubbo to Brisbane, they'd been booked up, and obviously you want to give Critta as much time as possible to be right,' Burton said after joining NSW camp, again as 18th man, for game two in Perth.
Sky News AU
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Phoebe Burgess breaks silence after her NRL star ex-husband Sam announced he is expecting second child with new wife Lucy
Phoebe Burgess has broken her silence after her ex-husband announced he is expecting his second child with his new wife of six months Lucy. Former South Sydney Rabbitohs star Sam Burgess, 36, and Lucy, 33, took to Instagram on Tuesday to announce the happy news through photos of the NRL WAG cradling her baby bump on a dreamy balcony in Capri, Italy. The rugby league coach for England's Warrington Wolves was previously married to Phoebe, an Australian journalist, from 2015 through 2019. However, the pair endured an acrimonious split, with Sam admitting to cheating on Phoebe while they were married during a reality TV appearance on SAS Australia. They share two children, Poppy, eight, and Billy, six, who are the half-siblings of the NRL star and Lucy's one-year-old daughter Robbie. On Wednesday, Phoebe took to Instagram Stories to share a sweet photo of Billy in his school uniform on the first day of the new school year. "New term, new vibe, my little man," she wrote. The 36-year-old later posted a glamorous video of herself shopping with her mother at Crown Sydney in the harbour city's suburb of Barangaroo. The mother-daughter duo were out for an early Mother's Day celebration and donned sheike outfits as they embraced with a hug. After his split from Phoebe, Sam proposed to Lucy in June 2023 nine months after they went public with their relationship. The couple welcomed Robbie the following September and tied the knot through a lavish ceremony in Rome, Italy last October. Sam and Lucy said their vows at the historic 17th-century Villa Aurelia perched on Janiculum Hill, overlooking stunning views and landscaped gardens. Photos of their special day showed the mother-of-two to be in a champagne gown and veil while her husband donned a dapper suit and bow tie. Robbie joined her parents at their nuptials and was seen wearing a dress which matched Lucy's during a celebratory napkin wave. The family settled in Cheshire, England. A source close to Burgess revealed the former Rabbitoh was smitten with Lucy, and she closely aligned with his plans to grow his family. 'It's been a whirlwind, but she is a fantastic woman. They get along so well. All of his friends are so happy to see how happy he makes her,' the source told the Daily Mail. 'The Burgess' are very family-oriented, and I think there was always a plan to start a family. "From what I hear, she is genuinely good for him. When they're together, apparently, they laugh all the time - she cracks him up."
