South Sydney are rallying around luckless forward Euan Aitken, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season on the eve of the club's first finals appearance since 2023.
Aitken has been a near ever present for the Bunnies in 2026, playing off the bench, starting in the back-row or filling in at centre for Wayne Bennett’s side.
But the Rabbitohs confirmed on Monday that the durable forward had suffered a fractured scapula in Friday night’s win over the Roosters.
“He's been great for us this year and so consistent and then to do that from one game out from the finals … it’s devastating. That’s the s**t part of footy," Aitken's teammate Campbell Graham said.
Aitken’s versatility will be sorely missed by the Bunnies, who face Newcastle in an elimination final on Friday.
The injury-enforced absence denies Aitken the chance to end his lengthy finals drought, during which the 31-year-old has not played in a play-off match since his debut season with St George Illawarra in 2015.
"I'm pretty shattered for Euan, it’s been over 200 games since he played his last finals game, which is crazy," Graham said.
“There's not much you can do or say it's just disappointing but I know Euan’s a real character.
"I'm sure he'll be down in the dumps for a couple of days but he'll be fully behind us just as we're right behind him.
“He's still an integral part of this group hopefully, we can do something special with him supporting us.”
