Souths legend Nathan Merritt fights for his life in Sydney hospital

Former South Sydney winger Nathan Merritt is fighting for his life at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.

Merritt, one of the game’s greatest try-scorers, was admitted to the hospital in Camperdown on Friday and is in a serious condition on life support.

The Rabbitohs and RPA declined to comment out of respect for the 40-year-old’s privacy.

However, sources said, on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, that Merritt had an adverse reaction to prescribed pain medication. He was taken to hospital after being found unresponsive on Friday.

Friends and family have been made aware of his condition.

Merritt scored 154 tries in 237 NRL appearances during a career spent predominantly at South Sydney. His total of 151 tries at Souths puts him behind only Alex Johnston (187) and Benny Wearing (168) as the most scored for the foundation club. Merritt is still equal 12th on the list of all-time leading try-scorers in top-flight rugby league in Australia.

The former NSW Origin representative topped the NRL’s try-scoring list twice. Remarkably, one of those occasions, in 2006, occurred when the Rabbitohs earned the wooden spoon.

He is fourth on the list of most capped Rabbitohs and has also represented the Blues, the Prime Minister’s XIII, City Origin and the Indigenous All Stars.

Only last weekend, he played in a Koori Knockout tournament.

South Sydney were also rocked by the death of premiership-winning forward Kyle Turner, at the age of 31, in August.

Merritt’s honours include winning the George Piggins Medal as the club’s best player in 2011, the Jack Rayner players’ player award in 2006 and 2008, the Roy Asotasi members’ choice award in 2009 and the Burrow player of the year in 2006 and 2009.

Known for his speed and ability to find the try line, Merritt scored a club record-equalling five tries in a 56-6 win against Parramatta in 2011.

Perhaps his most famous moment came from executing a surprising skill. With only seconds left on the clock and the scores level in a clash against Wests Tigers in 2009, the winger kicked a decisive field goal to steal the win.

Rabbitohs player No.974 played his junior football at Alexandria Rovers, the club where his father, Tony, played. Upon retiring from the NRL in 2014, he set up the Nathan Merritt Foundation to provide support and mentoring to Indigenous youth in the Redfern area.

During his retirement speech, he said wearing the famous cardinal and myrtle jersey had been a dream come true.

“I absolutely loved playing for South Sydney,” Merrit said at the time. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little kid jumping the fence at Redfern Oval to watch guys like Mario Fenech and Craig Coleman.”

Perhaps his greatest legacy was showing other young footballers there was a place for smaller physiques during an era in which most players – including some wingers – weigh in at 100 kilograms or more.