Family affair: Boom South Sydney Rabbitohs youngster Cameron Murray feels right at home in Redfern
IN an era where money dominates sport, boom South Sydney Rabbitohs youngster Cameron Murray is a rare breed of athlete untempted by the allure of financial gain.
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IN an era where money dominates sport, Cameron Murray is a rare breed of athlete untempted by the allure of financial gain.
To him, Redfern is home.
As a junior Kangaroo and NSW under-20 skipper, contract offers were never going to be in short supply.
His father, Corey, played 12 games for South Sydney while his sister, Bryanna, is captain of the club’s Tarsha Gale Cup team. Murray was even present in 1999 as his parents marched on the streets with a legion of Rabbitohs fans calling for the club’s reinstatement into the NRL.
After vast success in his youth, rivals circled for the now 20-year-old’s signature.
But their pursuits were in vain. Nothing was going to prevent the youngster from donning the historic 110-year-old jersey.
“It was always the Rabbits. I always wanted to play for the Rabbits and no matter what got thrown at me, I was always going to stay here,” Murray told The Saturday Telegraph.
“South Sydney has always been in my family’s blood. I really want to build my game and carve my legacy. Souths has always been a huge part of my family and my life.
“To have my dad play for Souths too and now me here, it’s incredible; for me, it was a dream to play with them.
“To see so many other of my family members pull on the red and green jumper is really special.
“To see my sister playing in the Tasha Gale in the 18s, she’s really enjoying it and it’s great to see her loving footy.”
To John Sutton, Cameron Murray is a protégé. To Cameron Murray, John Sutton is an idol.
The concept of a new era is used far too often in rugby league circles, but in this instance it appears to ring true with a club legend passing the baton on to a lifelong diehard supporter brimming with talent.
Following the success of his debut year in the NRL, Murray made it his mission to lock down a position in the starting side for 2018.
With reports Murray has blitzed South Sydney’s pre-season, his aspiration may become a reality at some point despite being named to play from the bench as he returns from a quadriceps injury. Ironically, it may be at the expense of John Sutton.
For just the fifth time in 282 games, Sutton may start from the sidelines as well as throughout the season to allow the ushering in of South Sydney’s next generation.
“I set myself a goal at the beginning of pre-season off the back of what happened last year, that I wanted to start for the Rabbitohs with the aim of securing that No.13 jumper,” Murray said.
“I actually can’t remember watching footy when John Sutton wasn’t playing for the Rabbitohs.
“His career is a huge testament to his character, everyone knows how dedicated he is to this club.
“I use sitting next to him in the locker room as motivation, I really have to pinch myself to recognise that I’m playing with some of the all-time greats right now.
“I can’t wait to pull on the jersey with them this year.”
As the club’s most-capped player in its illustrious history, Sutton is well-placed to speculate about the club’s direction going forward.
The versatile forward has no hesitations about where it’s heading.
“I think Cam has a massive future ahead of him. He’s definitely one of the Souths Juniors who’s going to lead this club in the not-too-distant future,” Sutton said.
“He’s an unbelievable talent. For a young kid he’s very switched on, he’s very professional, in the gym he puts most of the boys to shame. I’m really excited to see what Cam can do this year.
“He’s been training really well, he’s got his head screwed on, he’s an exciting talent coming through this club.”
Originally published as Family affair: Boom South Sydney Rabbitohs youngster Cameron Murray feels right at home in Redfern
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