South Sydney setback: Strike centre Campbell Graham to miss up to six months

South Sydney’s preparations for the new season have been thrown into disarray with one of their best players ruled out for up to six months.

Campbell Graham will miss most of the regular season after the Rabbitohs decided he needed to get surgery to fix his damaged sternum. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

South Sydney’s hopes of surging back into the top eight have suffered a devastating blow with strike centre Campbell Graham set to be sidelined for up to six months after the club announced he needed surgery to repair damage to his sternum.

The 24-year-old was one of their standouts in 2023, with Graham scoring a career-high 16 tries from 21 appearances, including two hat-tricks in the opening nine rounds.

Graham was playing so well last season that he was named 18th man for NSW for the State of Origin opener but quickly withdrew from camp due to the sternum complaint.

It’s an injury he battled through all season, with the club announcing on Thursday that he’ll need to have surgery, with Graham expected to return before the finals should the Rabbitohs get there.

It’s also a blow for the NRL who had used the rangy centre as part of their promotional tour of the States to ramp up hype for the double-header.

Graham flew to Las Vegas last year to promote the double-header. Picture: David Becker/Getty Images for NRL

“Rabbitohs centre Campbell Graham will undergo surgery next week to repair damage to his sternum which see him sidelined for up to six months,” a club statement read.

“Graham played through the injury throughout the 2023 season and has trained throughout the pre-season; however, a decision has been made to undergo surgery on the affected area.

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

The Rabbitohs will likely turn to Jack Wighton and Isaiah Tass to play in the centres, with Alex Johnston and Tyrone Munro on the wings, although Wighton will miss their first game in Las Vegas due to suspension.

Christian Tuipulotu is off to the Dragons on a two-year deal. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Meanwhile, the Dragons have signed Christian Tuipulotu from the Sea Eagles effective immediately on a two-year deal.

“Christian is a big body who can add some strike out of the backfield and will be a valuable addition to the club,” Dragons coach Shane Flanagan said.

“We have some good outside backs coming through at the Dragons but having lost Corey Allan for the season it was important for us to add some NRL experience to the backline for this year.”

Originally published as South Sydney setback: Strike centre Campbell Graham to miss up to six months