Rabbitohs icon Nathan Merritt is fighting for life after being found unresponsive.
According to a report from The Daily Telegraph, the 40-year old collapsed while staying with a family member on Friday afternoon, having suffered an adverse reaction to pain medication.
Merritt was rushed to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown in a serious condition, and has reportedly been placed on life support.
“Nathan is in the thoughts and prayers of every Rabbitoh at the moment,” Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly said on Saturday morning.
Merritt played in the Koori Knockout last weekend on the NSW Central Coast and onlookers claimed the winger sustained a concussion during a game.
It has not been confirmed whether the head knock is related to his condition.
Merritt was a beloved figure at the Rabbitohs through a 12-year career spanning between 2002 and 2014, playing 218 matches and scoring a remarkable 146 tries – only Alex Johnston among Rabbitohs has more.
After a brief stint with Cronulla from 2004-05, the 40-year old returned to the club he started at in 2006, leading the NRL in tries that year before repeating the dose in 2011 – the latter coming in a wooden spoon year.
Merritt fell out of favour due to Johnston’s emergence in 2014, ultimately missing the Rabbitohs’ drought-breaking premiership win.
The winger’s 218 appearances is fourth all-time for the club, while his 154 career tries are the equal-12th most of all time.
Merritt, a Redfern local, also represented at the highest level with one appearance for NSW in the 2013 State of Origin series, two Australian Prime Minister’s XIII appearances and two City Origin appearances.
He also represented the NRL Indigenous All Stars three times and was awarded the Preston Campbell Medal for his man-of-the-match performance in the 2012 Indigenous All Stars game.
(with AAP)
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