Nathan Merritt, a South Sydney icon, has awoken from a coma, one week after being discovered unresponsive and struggling for his life.
Merritt was conscious and surrounded by his immediate family at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney’s inner west, the Rabbitohs reported on Friday night.
“Fantastic news tonight!” Souths made a post on X, the social media network that was formerly known as Twitter.
“He is still in the hospital, receiving excellent care from his doctors and nurses.” Merro, keep up the good work! We’re all rooting for you!”
Merritt had been taken to hospital and placed on life support last Friday after he was found unresponsive at his aunt’s house, one week after playing in the Koori Knockout.
The former NSW State of Origin winger was believed to have had an adverse reaction to prescribed pain-killers.
Merritt’s sister had taken to social media during the week there had been a slight improvement in the 40-year-old’s condition, before Friday’s update.
The flyer is one of the most beloved figures in South Sydney’s modern history, playing 218 of his 237 first-grade games across two stints at the Redfern club.
He retired in 2014 as the Rabbitohs’ all-time leading tryscorer and second-most capped player since the club’s foundation in 1908.
He remains the second-most prolific scorer in the club’s history, behind his 2014 successor Alex Johnston, and Souths’ fourth-most capped player.
Merritt grew up in public housing in Redfern and made his NRL debut for the Rabbitohs as an 18-year-old in 2002, the season the club was reinstated into the NRL.
Even through a period of poor results, Merritt was a fan favourite for his habit of finding the tryline.
He was the NRL’s top-tryscorer for 2006 – his first season back at South Sydney following two years with Cronulla – and again in 2011.
Merritt is the equal 12th-most prolific tryscorer in Australian rugby league history, having crossed the line 154 times for Souths and Cronulla.
In round 22 of the 2011 season, he became the first Rabbitoh since 1957 to score five tries in a game when he starred in a 56-6 thrashing of Parramatta.
In 2009, Merritt showed his versatility by kicking an unlikely field goal to win the game for Souths against Wests Tigers at the SCG.
For his clutch play, Merritt was awarded the Peter Frilingos Award for ‘headline moment of the year’ at the 2009 Dally Ms.
On the representative stage, Merritt made a long-awaited Origin debut for NSW in the 2013 series, and played for City Origin twice.
He represented the Indigenous All Stars on three occasions, earning man of the match honours for the third of those appearances in 2012.
After walking away from the game, Merritt had remained part of the Rabbitohs’ wider club, having taken up a role with the organisation’s community arm Souths Cares.
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