02-05-2025
Fans demand answers to brutal 'curse' as Souths rocked after $25 million move
South Sydney officials have previously denied the 'Heffron curse' is real but the club's latest injury nightmare has sparked fresh concerns from fans. The Rabbitohs moved from their traditional training base at Redfern Oval into the $25 million centre of excellence at Heffron Park in 2023, but it's coincided with a staggering injury toll that has only gotten worse heading into the NRL's Magic Round.
Veteran Jack Wighton became the latest Rabbitohs star ruled out of Saturday's game against Newcastle at Suncorp Stadium with injury. Wighton was named at five-eighth on Tuesday but missed training with a calf injury on Wednesday and the club has revealed he's now set to be sidelined for at least the next four weeks.
Wighton joins a mounting casualty ward at the Rabbitohs that also includes skipper Cody Walker, Jamie Humphreys, Cam Murray and Alex Johnston. Superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell is also suspended for the Knights clash, with coach Wayne Bennett set to finally hand Lewis Dodd his first start in the halves after deciding to overlook the English recruit on numerous occasions.
But it's the latest injury for Wighton that has left many Souths fans questioning what is going wrong at the club and whether it has something to do with their Heffron Park training headquarters or the club's high performance staff. Wighton's calf complaint comes after Walker was ruled out for five weeks with a calf injury, having also battled a hamstring issue and a calf strain in pre-season. Mitchell and Murray were also injured during pre-season training, with the latter ruled out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Tevita Tatola and Campbell Graham have also experienced injury concerns this season, leading many fans to call out the 'Heffron curse' since the club moved its new training complex. Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly already came out earlier in the season to deny the club's training facilities had anything to do with the staggering injury toll at the club, but the latest setbacks have left fans demanding answers.
'We actually got the playing surface checked by independent specialists three weeks ago, and it was perfect,' Souths CEO Solly said earlier this year. 'Some of the soft-tissue injuries we had last pre-season were not even at Heffron Park. They happened when we were training at Redfern before Christmas whilst Heffron was unavailable."
Heffron Park jinx is real. The injuries have been insane since they left Redfern.
— Brad Morgan (@BradMor54822174) April 30, 2025
Jack Wighton is set to miss a month of action with a calf injury sustained at training this week. It's likely UK recruit Lewis Dodd will get his first NRL start at halfback. The curse of Heffron Park continues to haunt the Rabbitohs.
— The League Scene (@LeagueScenePod) May 1, 2025
Wighton out for 3-4 weeks with a calf injury. What is going on at Heffron Park? Dodd the last man standing, getting his opportunity now. #GoRabbitohs
— Ben B (@Benb55) April 30, 2025
Old man injuries? Or Heffron Park injuries? That is the question.
— Homer Wells 🇺🇦 (@gmnty) April 24, 2025
The injury setback for Wighton has left Souths coach Bennett with little choice but to start Dodd in the halves after using Humphreys, Walker, Jayden Sullivan, Mitchell, Wighton and even back-up fullback Jye Gray over the $650,000 English import previously. Dodd was expected to start the season in the No.7 jersey but suspension handed Humphreys his chance. And the young recruit from Manly took his chance until a hamstring injury sidelined him.
Another suspension cost Dodd the chance to make his starting debut in the halves previously, but the former English Super League star is determined to make his latest opportunity count. "I didn't think it was going to be easy, I didn't think everything was going to go my own way," said Dodd, who has played two games from the bench so far.
"I wouldn't have had it any other way. It's made me a better person and a better player at the end of the day and that's all I can ask for." Dodd won the 2021 Super League grand final and 2023 World Club Challenge during a five-year stint at St Helens but admits the NRL is on another level.
"The game's obviously a bit different to back home in England, there's a lot more high percentage plays and just the ins and outs of the NRL, the week-to-week grind of it," he said. "I know I had to work on some things in my game and learn this competition.
"That'll make me a better player. It's been a long time coming, it feels like, but (the waiting) will also be beneficial at the end of the day." Souths' mounting injury toll and Mitchell's suspension means Bennett is set to name Tatola as his fifth-choice captain for the clash against an out-of-sorts Newcastle side that is hoping to avoid a sixth-straight defeat.
with AAP
