Able to play anywhere in the forwards, a South Sydney Rabbitohs recruit has suffered a significant injury setback which has ruled him out of the remainder of the season.

In his first match for his new side, Max McCarthy has sustained an ACL injury and has subsequently been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 NRL season, per NRL Physio.

Joining from the Cronulla Sharks, he was named the team's SG Ball Cup Players' Player of the Year in 2024 and won the Harold Matthews Cup Coaches Award in 2022, when he helped guide them to the Grand Final.

He also featured in their Jersey Flegg Cup squad and was set to be a key member of the Rabbitohs in the Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup teams this year as he continues to enhance his development before he is upgraded to the Top 30 roster in 12 months.

โ€œMax is a young player who is ready to learn and ready to take the next step in his development, and we're excited that his opportunity will be with us at South Sydney," Rabbitohs Head of Mark Ellison said when they signed McCarthy at the backend of last year.

โ€œHe has size, skill and is a strong defender; all things that we are looking for in our forwards rotation.

"The full-time training opportunity will accelerate his development and provide him with opportunities to progress towards an NRL debut.