Tallis Duncan is South Sydney’s next captain, according to veteran Jack Wighton, who believes the rising star should be the Rabbitohs’ top priority as some of their highest-profile players approach the last year of their contracts.
The 24-year-old has been a standout for Souths this season and returns from a hamstring injury against Parramatta at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night as Wayne Bennett’s team pushes to secure a top-eight berth.
The Rabbitohs have injured superstar Latrell Mitchell, Campbell Graham, David Fifita and a cast of others coming off contract at the end of the 2027 season.
But with Duncan likely to be heavily pursued by rival teams if he does not re-sign before the November 1 transfer window, Wighton says Souths are right to put the rising back-rower at the top of their list.
“He’s the club’s future,” the 33-year-old centre said on Wednesday. “He’s probably the club’s next captain if you ask me. He’s a great role model, he’s a great leader, and he does that with his actions and being upfront.
“The club would be foolish if they didn’t prioritise him … he’d be first off the rank if it was me running the club. I think they’re definitely going down the right lines there. As I said, I can see him as the next captain of this whole club.”
Souths will also be bolstered by the inclusion of their captain, Cameron Murray, for the Indigenous Round match against the Eels following a calf strain, as well as Fifita, who is back from suspension.
Demonstrating his versatility, Duncan has for the sixth time in his last seven games been named in the centres, where he has prospered in the absence of Mitchell.
A member of Souths’ strong Indigenous contingent from the Wonnarua tribe in the Hunter Valley, Duncan said he was focused on helping the seventh-placed Rabbitohs make the finals for the first time since 2022 but would love to stay for good.
“I love this club and if everything was the same and it was up to me, I’d be here forever,” Duncan said. “I love this club but I feel like at the moment it’s time for football and all that stuff can come later.”
Wighton will don headgear on Saturday after suffering a split ear against Cronulla on Sunday, adding that necessary accessory to the cast he is wearing on his right arm after surgery earlier this year.
Front-rower Keaon Koloamatangi left training early on Wednesday with an apparent hip complaint, but teammates downplayed concern over his fitness.
There is less confidence about Mitchell’s recovery from a complex nerve damage that threatens to end the 29-year-old’s season.
He has trained separately from the rest of the squad in recent weeks, including running laps of their Heffron Park headquarters, but was not seen at their session on Wednesday.
“We are not sure as players,” five-eighth Cody Walker said when asked when Mitchell might be back.
“But I’m sure the medical staff have a really good plan in place to hopefully see him play at the back end of the year.”
Mitchell hasn’t played since round 11 in mid-May as a result of back and calf injuries and the emergence of a nerve issue which he has consulted a neurologist about.
“He’s a superstar of the game,” Walker said of Mitchell. “[But] I do believe that we have the players in place to be able to still compete at a high level and win games.”
While Mitchell will sit out again on Saturday, his Winmarra Foundation is displayed on the back of Souths’ Indigenous Round jersey.
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Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
