Blow for Rabbitohs after groin injury rules out Graham

SYDNEY: South Sydney copped a blow on the eve of its NRL preliminary final when inform centre Campbell Graham was ruled out with a groin injury yesterday.

The 21yearold was set for an electric battle with Penrith star Stephen Crichton, with at least one spot in the New South Wales Origin squad up for grabs between the pair.

However, Souths coach Wayne Bennett yesterday said Graham had been managing the injury for weeks and could not recover quickly enough for tonight’s clash at ANZ Stadium.

‘‘He hasn’t had enough time to get it right. He’s been managing it for about a month now but we’ve had a sevenday turnaround and it’s not long enough this time,’’ Bennett said.

It opens the door for Jed Cartwright to move into the centres against his former club having been released by the Panthers midseason. The 23yearold has played just six first grade games — only one of which was for Penrith in his NRL debut last season.

Cartwright has played Souths’ last five games from the interchange bench as either a secondrower or centre but Bennett is confident he can get the job done against his former club.— AAP