Latest news with #Wighton
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
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
Perth Now
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Waiting for halves chance made me a better man: Dodd
Lewis Dodd says he's become a better person for his long wait to start a game in South Sydney's halves. After eight weeks biding his time, hotly-anticipated English recruit Dodd is poised to replace the injured Jack Wighton in the halves against Newcastle in the NRL's Magic Round on Saturday. Wighton was named at five-eighth on Tuesday but missed training with a calf injury on Wednesday and did not travel with the team to Brisbane the following day. He is likely to miss the next month of action, joining a Souths casualty ward that includes fellow big names Cody Walker, Jamie Humphreys, Cam Murray and Alex Johnston. Souths coach Wayne Bennett is set to finally call on Dodd after preferencing Humphreys, Walker, Jayden Sullivan, Latrell Mitchell, Wighton and even back-up fullback Jye Gray as starting halves across the opening two months. Two suspensions also worked against Dodd, who was signed before the Rabbitohs lured Bennett back to the club for a second stint in charge. But despite pre-season tips he would snare Souths' No.7 jumper for round one, Dodd always expected he'd have to work hard and be patient for a chance to start. "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 English powerhouse St Helens. But the 23-year-old has nevertheless found challenges in adjusting to the NRL. "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." After weeks being patient, Dodd was rapt to phone home to England and tell his loved ones the good news. "It was a nice phone call just saying, 'I might be starting' and for it to be at Magic Round, that'll be a pretty special memory that I'll look back on some day," he said with a smile. Injuries to Murray, Walker and Wighton, as well as Mitchell's suspension, have left Souths to name their fifth-choice captain for an intriguing clash against out-of-sorts Newcastle. Jai Arrow, the last fit member of the leadership group, is poised to be appointed skipper as Souths fight to snap a three-game losing streak. "I guess I'm the last one left out of the leadership group so someone's got to hold the fort down. I'm happy to do that," he said.
