South Sydney Rabbitohs record holder John Sutton fears this may be last NRL season

JOHN Sutton has vowed to fight for his future at the Rabbitohs with the club’s longest-serving player fearing he will be squeezed out by the salary cap.

John Sutton of Souths during the South Sydney Rabbitohs v Parramatta Eels NRL round 15 game at ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park. pic Mark Evans

JOHN Sutton knows the clock is ticking on his career but he will fight for his future with the Rabbitohs’ longest-serving player fearing he will be squeezed out due to the salary cap.

Sutton, who captained South Sydney to their drought-breaking 2014 premiership, is off contract this year but isn’t ready to retire.

On the back of two injury-plagued seasons, the veteran forward says he feels fresh and motivated to help the Pride of the League return to their best.

“I definitely want to keep playing,” Sutton told The Saturday Telegraph.

“I’ve had a couple of disruptive years with injuries.

Sutton has been with the Rabbitohs since 2004.

“I fractured my jaw early in 2015 and finished off the year breaking my leg, which was pretty disappointing.

“Then I started 2016 off by tearing my pec and missed another three months.

“I’ve had a really good pre-season that has been injury free and I just want to play some consistent football and get some games under my belt.

“All that contract stuff will then take care of itself.”

BOLTER: Capewell could switch to the wing

JOURNEY: Pearce comes full circle

Asked if he had thought about retirement, he swiftly replied: “No way, I’m having too much fun.

“I love being around the boys every day and they keep me young. As long as I’m feeling good and I’m playing good football, there is no point in retiring.”

Unfortunately for Sutton, the final decision around his future may be out of his hands.

Souths have a raft of players off contract, including emerging stars Aaron Gray, Alex Johnston and Kyle Turner.

“We’ve recruited really well and we’ve got some really good young players coming through,” Sutton said.

Nobody has played more matches for the Rabbitohs than Sutton.

“Young players like Braidon Burns, Tyrell Fuimaono and Robert Jennings.

“I think we’ve got some really good youth that is going to be at this club for years to come.

“Then from a commercial side the club is flying. We have the most members, so the club is in a real good place at the moment.”

Sutton will play his first game for 2017 in Sunday’s traditional Charity Shield against St George Illawarra.

“For me personally, I’ve got to make sure I’m playing at my best,” he said.

“I’ve done all the training and I’ve just got to make sure I put it all out there.

“I’m sure the Dragons will want to do the same thing.

“The Charity Shield does have the feel of a proper game, so we are going out there to try and play our best football.”