NRL 2021: Cameron Murray revealed as new Rabbitohs captain
He may be giving up years in experience but in going for Cam Murray, Souths have made a big captaincy statement - and the 23-year-old can’t wait to get started.
Cameron Murray will be the game’s youngest captain next season after the South Sydney product was announced as the Rabbitohs next skipper.
Murray, who turns 24 in January, has officially taken over from Adam Reynolds, with South Sydney turning to their NSW and Australian superstar instead of the more experienced Cody Walker or Damien Cook.
The Rabbitohs have had younger captains, the likes of Sam Burgess, Mario Fenech, Craig Field, Nathan Gibbs and Ash Harrison.
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But in the NRL he will be giving up years of experience to the likes of 30+-year-olds including Ben Hunt, Daly Cherry-Evans, James Tamou and Wade Graham.
Nathan Cleary co-captained Penrith to success last season just a month before his 24th birthday.
Murray is wise beyond his years. He has played more than 100 games and has already represented NSW and Australia. He has the potential to be a decade-long leader at South Sydney, where he is contracted until the end of 2025.
Murray joins the likes of recent skippers, including Reynolds and John Sutton, to be local-raised products who rose through the Rabbitohs system to captain the side.
He once protested against South Sydney’s expulsion from the competition – now he is hoping to lead them to their 22nd premiership.
“Although I don’t remember, somehow, the passion and pride on display during that dark period in our history has never left me,” he said.
“Having experienced these tough periods as a supporter during my earliest memories of the club in the early 2000s, I feel so grateful to have been involved in some great success at the club over the past couple of years.
“I’m in an incredibly unique position having grown up in the South Sydney district, always supporting the Rabbitohs, playing in the juniors and now finding myself representing the club and our community at the highest level.
“I feel a deep sense of connection and loyalty to South Sydney, and I’ve always seen that as a great advantage each time I take the field for this great club.”
Murray has long been a leader. He captained South Sydney’s Harold Matthews Cup and SG Ball Cup sides and has led NSW’s under-aged teams. He has been touted as a potential Blues and Kangaroos skipper.
The likes of Cook and Walker were all considered to replace Reynolds, who has joined the Broncos. But both are in their 30s and new coach Jason Demetriou is clearly ushering in a new era at the club.
Demetriou announced the news to the team who are in the midst of a three-day training camp at Latrell Mitchell’s Taree property.
“I spoke with Cameron a couple of weeks ago to gauge his interest in captaining the side and his reaction solidified in my mind that he is ready for the responsibility,” Demetriou said.
“He said he was ready and how much of an honour it would be to lead the side alongside our senior playing group and he made it clear it would be a group effort, not one man out.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear from him and I’m looking forward to working closely with him and our other leaders to guide this group of young men throughout the season.”
Secret street work of Rabbitohs cult hero
By Nick Walshaw
Ever since high school, Mark Nicholls has been called The Nose Breaker. Or Nosey, for short.
“Broke a bloke’s nose playing cricket,” the South Sydney prop grins. “So ever since that day, yeah, the nickname has stuck.”
Or at least until recently, when even Nicholls’ closest mates switched to that newer moniker now tattooed to this breakout Rabbitohs cult figure — GOAT.
A name which, born on Instagram about 18 months ago, and now screamed out at games, has become an unshakeable tribute to not only everything this workaholic NRL prop does on the field, but also off it.
Much of which goes unseen by the vast majority of fans. But that doesn’t matter. Take this past week.
When with all of League Land focused on Hectic Cheese, Josh Hodgson and that battle to replace Bunnies No.7 Adam Reynolds, Nicholls has quietly spent his free time working for the Salvation Army in Wagga Wagga.
To the knowledge of absolutely no one, GOAT has been a Salvos volunteer since 2017. Or ever since first discussing the idea with Queensland Origin great Nate Myles.
“It was in my final year with Melbourne,” he said. “Nate and I were both in reserve grade, playing with Easts Tigers, and just started talking about it while rooming together.
“Nate was helping feed homeless people in Melbourne and was talking about how powerful it was. How even though he was coming towards the end of his NRL career, and how it wasn’t going to finish the way he wanted, he was just so humbled to be involved in something like that and how much he was getting out of it.”
That was four years ago.
With Nicholls having ever since not only donated week nights to feeding the homeless in Sydney, or encouraging fellow Rabbitohs to do the same, but also being on hand for any task required whenever the Salvos call.
Like down in Wagga Wagga, where GOAT has not only spent part of his holidays aiding a local feed night, or delivering hampers to needy families, but also visiting two schools, a local youth group and speaking at length with fellow volunteers.
None of which he wants any publicity for. Yet given the Salvos are trying to raise $20 million for their annual Christmas Appeal, well, GOAT agreed to be outed provided we mention you can donate here (salvationarmy.org.au).
Which is also why recently, one of Nicholl’s mates Jack Biilmann had a goat symbol inked on to his foot. Beneath it, the prop’s South Sydney player number, 1140.
The end of a bet first dreamt up years ago when, discussing hopes and dreams over beers one night in Canberra, the pair agreed if Nicholls, then a Raiders reserve grader, ever scored an NRL double, Biilmann would get the tattoo of a nose.
Yet if Biilmann, an aspiring local muso, ever got any of his tunes played on Triple J’s Hottest 100, then Nicholls would get said song name inked onto his body.
All of which seemed a good laugh.
Or at least until Round 24 this year when, unthinkably, GOAT bagged that double against arch rivals, the Roosters. Which is why immediately afterwards, a phone call came.
“It was Jack, asking if he could get a goat instead of the nose,” he said.
“I’ve always been a bit embarrassed about the name. I remember it started towards the end of last year, when a few fans started messaging me on Instagram, calling me the Goat.
“Then this year, it really took a life of it’s own. But it’s all in good fun.
“So I was more than happy with him getting the goat tattoo — and he got it pretty big too.”
But who can blame him? Especially when you learn how, while in Wagga Wagga, Nicholls missed his usual Tuesday night feeding Sydney’s homeless.
But no problem.
With the Salvos telling us GOAT has already booked in for this week instead.
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