Cameron Murray (left) and Latrell Mitchell only played 14 and 11 games respectively last season. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
In short:
Cameron Murray has suffered a suspected torn Achilles tendon, while Latrell Mitchell is ruled out of South Sydney's preseason Charity Shield clash with the Dragons due to a hamstring injury.
Murray, who battled hip and wrist injuries last season, is facing months on the sidelines.
What's next?
The Rabbitohs start their season against the Dolphins on Friday, March 7.
South Sydney's wretched injury run has continued with captain Cameron Murray suffering a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon and Latrell Mitchell a hamstring issue.
In what looms as a bitter double blow for the Rabbitohs, Murray was set for scans on Wednesday after going down at training with an Achilles issue.
South Sydney officials confirmed they expected their representative lock to be sidelined for several months, depending on the severity of the injury.
Mitchell was also hurt at the same training session, ruling him out of at least Saturday's Charity Shield fixture against St George Illawarra in Mudgee, where he had been named to captain the side.
The superstar number one will also undergo scans to determine whether he will be fit to start the regular season.
Mitchell has had hamstring issues in the past, including through the Rabbitohs' horror capitulation during the second half of the 2023 season.
He then managed only 11 games last season, sidelined for the second half of it with a foot issue as the Rabbitohs again missed the finals.
For Murray, his suspected injury continues a horror run of bad luck.
He missed part of last season with a hip injury, before suffering damage to his wrist while in an end-of-season Kangaroos camp.
The Rabbitohs captain was then in a race against the clock to face the Dolphins in round one on March 7, with the wrist problem having lingered longer than expected.
That now appears the least of his concerns.
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Campbell Graham (hand) and five-eighth Cody Walker (calf) are both also under an injury cloud ahead of that match.
Murray spoke only last week about trying to put the Rabbitohs' long run of injuries out of his mind, after problems stunted their 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
"I try not to think too much about it, because if you think too much about it you just drive yourself crazy," Murray told AAP at last Monday's NRL season launch.
"We have had enough time over-thinking things, victimising ourselves.
"The only way to get over something like that is just control what you can.
"If you are unlucky enough to pick up an injury just deal with what you need to do with your rehab to get back out there.
"You can say: 'Why is this happening to us?' Or you can say: 'This is happening to us, how do we come back from it?'"
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