Campbell Graham still in pain but keen to rush field for Alex Johnston’s try milestone

As noon approached, Simpkin admitted he was getting nervous.

“I was like ’12:15 is the cut off love, so you’ve gotta get him out, and you’ve gotta get him out now’,” Simpkin recalled.

“She was good about it, she was ‘if he comes, I’m happy for you to go play.’ So that was good. It was an important game for us even though it didn’t go the way we wanted it to, I wanted to play it.”

Simpkin, who met Surjan at Clovelly Beach six years ago, said his head was a mess when he ran onto the field.

“I had a good chat to Chez [Daly Cherry-Evans], he was pretty good to me,” Simpkin said.

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“He just said I’m not a chance today, just take a second and breathe. When you get out there, obviously there were all the formalities at the start of the game, he was just ‘take that time, that minute or two to just have a couple of breaths and just clear your mind before the game.’

“That helped me, I had a couple of moments like that. Everyone was really good, they got me in shape and ready to go pretty quickly, so it was good.”

Simpkin said it has been an eye-opening adjustment to footy with fatherhood.

“It’s hard, just the sleep and stuff like that,” he said. “She made me do the first nappy, it is disgusting …I was saying to her if we did this at the start of the year, I would have struggled just with the sleep and adjusting to everything.

“Hopefully we win all of our games and see what happens, but if that doesn’t happen, we’re pretty close to the end of the season, so it’s not too bad anyway.”

Graham still in pain but keen to rush field for Johnston’s try milestone

Campbell Graham’s back injury has been so painful that the South Sydney centre struggles getting out of chairs and driving long distances.

But it won’t stop him being the first one running onto the field when teammate Alex Johnston finally breaks the NRL’s try-scoring record.

Johnston needs four more tries to pass Ken Irvine’s mark of 212 four-pointers, but time is running out for the winger to enter rarefied air this season.

The 15th-placed Rabbitohs host St George Illawarra on Thursday night for their penultimate game before facing bitter rivals Sydney Roosters after a bye.

Souths officials have publicly urged fans not to storm the field once Johnston finally breaks the record, as supporters did when AFL star Lance Franklin kicked his 1000th goal in 2022.

But teammates could be a different matter, with Graham keen to run through his pain and show Johnston some love.

“Absolutely I would, I’d try to be the first one there to cuddle him. Obviously it’s a matter of when, not if, so we’ll just see how it plays out,” Graham said. “It’s been a monkey on his back for a couple of years now.

“It’s such a great achievement, not only in our game but in Australian sport to have a record like that. It really couldn’t happen to a better person.”

Seeing his mate break the record would be a rare bright spot in a tough season for Graham, who has been troubled by a bulging disc in his back since March.

The 26-year-old initially needled up to play but has been sidelined since round 18 and will not line up again this year.

The injury is unlikely to require off-season surgery but has nevertheless been “pretty rough” for Graham to handle.

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“Simple things like driving long distances is not great, getting up out of chairs, stuff like that. It isn’t ideal, day to day,” Graham said of his pain.

“It does get you pretty down, even just day to day, dealing with a chronic issue like that. My focus is just to get on top of this, not only for footy but for myself as well. At the moment, the goal is to be back fit and training by pre-season.”

Another disrupted year was a tough pill to swallow for Graham, who had been hampered by a sternum injury across the previous two seasons.

The sternum issues forced Graham to withdraw from NSW’s squad for the 2023 State of Origin series opener and eventually sidelined him from Souths’ entire 2024 campaign.

But Graham is hopeful his luck will turn in 2026, when Souths will fight to recover from a season of injury horror across the board.

“That’s something that helps me in my mindset, that although I’ve had a pretty unlucky run the last couple of years I know things will get better,” he said. “I know if I keep doing the right things, I’ll give myself every chance to be fully fit by pre-season.” AAP

Murray lifting training standards as Rabbitohs get their groove back

Christian Nicolussi

Cameron Murray has been credited with helping South Sydney win their past two games, simply by returning from injury and lifting the standards at training.

The Rabbitohs’ skipper was not named to return from an Achilles injury for Thursday night’s clash against St George Illawarra, while Latrell Mitchell was also left off the team sheet as he continues to battle a nerve issue in his back.

The sight of Murray back in full training at Heffron Park has been the circuit-breaker the Bunnies needed, according to injured representative centre Campbell Graham.

“The way he leads and communicates with the boys out there, you can see training has gone up a gear,” Graham said.

“In all honesty, I think he has helped contribute to our wins the last couple of weeks, just with his presence.

“Cam is giving himself every opportunity to get back and play. The medical staff aren’t pushing him, but Cam is his own man, and if he feels like he’s ready, he’ll push to play.

“Just seeing someone like that and how dedicated he is to his rehab, how professional he has been about the whole thing – he hasn’t left any stone unturned – it’s pretty admirable.”

Murray and Mitchell went down within minutes of each other in the pre-season, with the captain rupturing his Achilles tendon. He wants to play in the last round against the Sydney Roosters if fit, and has the full blessing of coach Wayne Bennett.

The easy thing would be to keep Murray on ice and let him be fresh for day one of 2026 pre-season training, but as Bennett said recently, “He wants to reward himself for nine months of rehab. Even if it’s just a couple of games, it’s a game he loves, and it’s something he hasn’t been able to do.”

Mitchell has also had an injury-interrupted year, with the latest back injury forcing him to miss another week. With the bye next week, he is also a chance to return for the Roosters.

Bennett acknowledged the role Murray had played by being back at training, but was equally complimentary of Mitchell and Cody Walker, who both played big roles in their returns against the Titans and Eels, respectively.

“Cam is a pretty exceptional guy, he’s one of the elite players in the game with his attitude, and everything he does is at 100 per cent,” Bennett said.

“We appreciate him being back at training, but the wins also come down to having quality players on the field. Cody and Latrell have played the last two weeks; they’ve been really good for us and made a difference.”

Meanwhile, Graham, who missed all of last year with a sternum injury, then broke his hand in the off-season, injured his calf in round three, and has not been sighted since round 18, confirmed a back complaint had left him with mental demons.

He has avoided surgery and been limited to pilates, swimming and physiotherapy, with the aim of resuming running in the pre-season.

“It doesn’t leave you in a good headspace, especially after the year I had last year, it’s just been very stop-start,” Graham said. “Not feeling at your physical best for such a long time, it gets pretty draining.”

In team news, Isaah Yeo has been named on an extended bench for the Panthers when they host Canberra in Mudgee on Friday, Ryan Papenhuyzen (concussion) was listed in jersey No.21 for Friday night’s Storm clash with the Bulldogs, Sydney Roosters winger Daniel Tupou (concussion) is replaced by Junior Tupou for their trip to Parramatta, while Krystian Mapapalangi is the centre named on the Wests Tigers’ extended bench in case Starford To’o (shoulder) is not fit.

A summer to relish breaking Irvine’s record sits fine with AJ

Alex Johnston hopes to break Ken Irvine’s all-time try-scoring record at the start of next season – not in the coming weeks – so he can have all summer to savour the prospect of achieving the historic feat.

Johnston failed to add to his career tally against Parramatta on the weekend to remain on 209 tries, three shy of Irvine’s long-standing mark.

The player marking him on Thursday night, when the Rabbitohs take on St George Illawarra, will be former Rabbitoh Corey Allan, who gave Johnston the easiest try of his career in the final round of 2020. Johnston needed five tries in the final round to finish as that year’s top try-scorer, and Allan got across the line, only to wait for Johnston to catch up to him and give him the ball to score.

Allan said he was yet to receive the carton of beer Johnston had promised.

“I’m still waiting for that case – it will be interesting to see if it ever rocks up at my doorstep,” Allan said.

“I could have scored that night, but I thought I better look behind me to see if he was coming. He needed five to draw level with Kyle Feldt [on the top try-scorers list]. Lo and behold, he was screaming my name, and his eyes lit up when I turned around. The rest is history.

“I don’t think the record will be broken again. ‘AJ’ is a special player.”

Johnston said of Allan: “Hopefully he can help me with a couple of more tries this weekend.”

South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett said after the win over the Eels that the likely return of Latrell Mitchell to left centre would help Johnston in his quest to break the record.

“I love playing with ‘T-Mitt’ [Mitchell],” Johnston said. “Cody Walker has given me most of my tries, but Trell would be the second most.

“I sort of only want to get three tries this year, that way I’ve got the whole off-season and the lead-up [to] next year to try and get it in round one.

“I’ve been thinking about what I should do [to celebrate]. I’ll have to do something.”

Souths have asked fans not to storm the playing pitch when Johnston reaches the milestone, but the winger has other ideas.

“I think it will happen, and the NRL and Souths will have to be prepared for it to happen,” Johnston said.

“There were pretty crazy scenes in the AFL when [Sydney Swans forward Lance] Buddy Franklin [kicked 1000 goals], so there will be a lot that goes on behind the scene to make sure it is safe. I’m all for it. I think the NRL will need to prepare for it.”

The Bunnies are chasing three straight wins, while the Dragons need three replacements, for Jack de Belin, Hamish Stewart and Hame Sele, who were all ruled out with category-one concussion symptoms on the weekend.

Why Haas chose Samoa

Dan Walsh

Queensland Origin centre Rob Toia will prioritise his Tongan heritage over a potential Ashes tour berth as fellow Kangaroos defector Payne Haas declared Samoa now has the playing stocks to win next year’s World Cup.

Haas confirmed on Sunday his switch of allegiance to the rising Pacific nation, with high hopes that fellow Australian stars Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow do the same for this year’s Pacific Championships.

Tonga’s October 26 clash with Samoa at Suncorp Stadium is predicted to draw one of the best Test attendances in decades on Australian soil and outsell the 33,196 who turned out for Australia’s win over the Mate Ma’a in Brisbane last year.

Toia’s decision to represent his family’s Tongan roots does, however, take another outside back option off the table for Australia’s three-Test tour of the UK in October and November.

Big names Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic loom as the Kangaroos’ first-choice centre pairing for the first Ashes tour since 2003. However, both have been hampered by injury as South Sydney and Manly have struggled this season, and arguments could be made for them focusing on club commitments given their injury histories.

Toia’s rise as a rookie of the year contender and an eye-catching debut Origin series keeping Mitchell quiet had him in Kevin Walters’ sights, particularly given Stephen Crichton (Samoa), Valentine Holmes (torn rotator cuff) and Campbell Graham are unavailable for Australia.

Like Tabuai-Fidow, Brisbane’s Kotoni Staggs is still considering whether he makes himself available for Australia or Tonga at season’s end.

Melbourne’s Xavier Coates, Canterbury’s Matt Burton and Jacob Kiraz, Parramatta’s Zac Lomax and Josh Addo-Carr, and Roosters rugby convert Mark Nawaqanitawase loom as Australia’s other leading three-quarter options.

Under current international eligibility rules, Toia’s opting to play for Tonga after coach Kristian Woolf got in contact won’t preclude him from representing Australia or New Zealand (where his father was born), just as Haas’s call won’t impact his NSW Origin career.

“Woolfy reached out, and I responded. I was very surprised to be honest, but I told him I’d love the opportunity to play for Tonga if he was to choose me,” Toia said.

“I had a chat with my parents about it, telling them that opportunity was there, and they were over the moon. My grandparents on both sides have lived in Tonga the majority of their lives, so they were probably the happiest. They were telling me they can’t wait to see me represent them if that happens.”

League Immortal Andrew Johns on Sunday likened Haas’s decision to represent Samoa to Jason Taumalolo’s generational switch to Tonga for the 2017 World Cup.

Haas said he was inspired by the North Queensland veteran’s move, though he was reluctant to put public pressure on Fa’asuamaleaui to follow his lead.

“Hopefully, we get a few more boys over, but they have to follow their heart and do what’s right for them,” Haas said.

“To play with [Fa’asuamaleaui] would be special. I hope he makes the switch.”

Haas said on Sunday that new Australian coach Walters was understanding of his decision, which was first set in motion when he played against Samoa in 2023, and the island’s national anthem played.

Haas, Crichton, Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Terrell May headline an already star-studded Samoan contingent under coach Ben Gardiner, prompting Haas’s prediction of World Cup glory at next year’s tournament.

“I feel like we can win it, especially with the team we have got now,” Haas said.

“We have got great players in this team, and it is our goal to win this World Cup. We will focus on the Pac Champs this year, but that is the main goal.”

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