South Sydney Rabbitohs Archives

Maroubra Mourns the Loss of Trent Rutherford

Trent Rutherford, a young man from Maroubra with deep ties to the South Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club, has died after spending over a week fighting a severe brain injury, leaving behind a community of people who described him as a rare and genuinely good human being.

Trent, believed to be in his late 20s, passed away on 4 June. A carpenter by trade, he had been living in Uluwatu in Bali’s southwest with his long-term partner Bella Cignetti, where the couple had set up fitness-related businesses after relocating from Maroubra in 2024.

His mother described him as being surrounded by love in his final moments.

The tributes of a community that loved him

Bella Cignetti’s tribute captured something of the person Trent was. “I’d choose you in every single lifetime, my love. You fought harder than anyone I’ve ever known,” she wrote. “You are my soulmate, my greatest love, and now my angel, watching over me, protecting me, guiding me and so many others.”

*Photo Credit: @trentrutherford_/Instagram*

She spoke of being grateful for every adventure, laugh, moment and dream they had shared. “Thank you for choosing me, for loving me the way you did and for giving me the most beautiful memories and life. Until we meet again, my love. Forever and always I’ll love you with my whole heart.”

Tributes flooded social media from people who had known Trent across different parts of his life, with many describing a “special human” with a “heart of gold” and an infectious smile that people remembered long after meeting him.

South Sydney Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray paid his own tribute during Thursday night’s NRL clash against the Manly Sea Eagles, wearing wrist tape emblazoned with “TRENT” throughout the match.

A family known to South Maroubra SLSC

Trent’s connection to the Maroubra community ran deep. His parents, Yvette and Grant “Paddles” Rutherford, are Life Members of the South Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club, a club that has been a fixture of the beach since 1963.

The club shared its condolences with the family this week, noting that Trent was a former club member who had been seen at the clubhouse as recently as March, when he presented the Bruce Rutherford Memorial Award to the club’s nippers.

“Trent was a former valued club member and good friend of South Maroubra SLSC,” the club posted. “Thoughts and prayers are with the Rutherford family as they confront this most difficult time. Vale Trent.”

The Bruce Rutherford Memorial Award bears the name of a family member before him, a detail that gives some sense of how long and how genuinely the Rutherfords have been part of the fabric of this club and this beach.

How to support the family

Friend and organiser Sam Owens originally set up a GoFundMe to support Trent’s medical battle, but has since updated the page to help his family cover funeral expenses and ongoing costs. “This has been an incredibly difficult time for his family, partner Bella, and everyone who loved him,” Owens wrote.

Contributions can be made here.

Published 10-June-2026

Maroubra’s Heffron Park Now Home to Alex Johnston’s Bronze Statue After Record-Breaking Try

The NRL Roast(Facebook)/Getty Images

A life-size bronze statue of South Sydney Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston now stands outside the Rabbitohs’ training centre at Heffron Park in Maroubra, unveiled on Monday 16 March after Johnston became the greatest try-scorer in NRL premiership history just three days earlier.

Johnston crossed for his 213th NRL try in the first minute of the second half against the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium, edging past Ken Irvine’s record that had stood for more than half a century. The try came from a brilliant set-up by Latrell Mitchell, with Johnston sprinting away from 40 metres to finish an 80-metre team movement that drew thousands of fans onto the field in celebration, a moment that the NRL had explicitly asked supporters not to create, but which produced one of the competition’s most extraordinary scenes regardless.

Three days later, Johnston stood in front of his bronze likeness at Heffron Park, surrounded by teammates, club officials, family and a delegation from the Randwick community, with local Bidjigal and Gweagal Elder Aunty Barbara Simms-Keeley welcoming the crowd to Country before the statue was officially unveiled. The statue, which depicts Johnston running with ball in hand, was created by artist John Cabellon and commissioned by club donor Danny Taibel.

A Record Years in the Making

The statue had been completed three years ago in Thailand and had been waiting for its unveiling as Johnston steadily closed in on the record. It will be the first statue in South Sydney Rabbitohs history.

Johnston’s path to the record is inseparable from Maroubra and the broader Randwick community. He is a South Sydney junior who grew up playing for the La Perouse United jersey, attended and graduated as dux from Endeavour Sports High School, and has remained a one-club player since making his NRL debut for the Rabbitohs on Anzac Day in 2014. His 213 premiership tries have all been scored in cardinal and myrtle, making the placement of the statue at Heffron Park a fitting permanence for a career that has never wandered from its roots.

Johnston is a proud Koedal Klan Saibai man of Torres Strait Islander and Papua New Guinean heritage, and celebrations of his record extended well beyond Sydney, with jubilant scenes reported throughout Papua New Guinea as the country’s rugby league community joined in marking the achievement. PNG Prime Minister James Marape joined Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in formally congratulating Johnston, and plans are underway to honour him when he returns to PNG later this year.

What the Moment Meant

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo described Irvine’s record as one that many had considered untouchable, given that it had stood for more than half a century, and said Johnston’s achievement made him one of the finest finishers the game had ever seen.

Johnston himself took the weight of the occasion in stride. He described the past few days as pretty crazy and called the statue the cherry on top of his celebrations, before joking that it would give the local wildlife the opportunity to have their say on his performances.

Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly credited Taibel for the statue’s existence, noting that Taibel never doubted Johnston would break the record and ensured the design, build and transportation were completed before the record was actually broken. Solly described it as a lasting tribute located in a sporting precinct that draws a million visitors a year, and expressed hope it would inspire the young athletes who train and play at Heffron.

Why This Matters to the Maroubra Community

Heffron Park is Maroubra’s sporting heartland. The precinct draws junior and senior athletes from across the eastern suburbs week after week, and the Rabbitohs’ move to the site has made it one of the most visited sporting facilities in the Randwick area. A permanent bronze statue at the entrance to the Rabbitohs’ centre of excellence gives the park a landmark that connects its daily visitors to one of rugby league’s greatest individual achievements.

For the Maroubra community, Johnston’s story is also a deeply local one. He grew up playing football in the streets and parks of the area, attended school in the eastern suburbs and has built his career in the community that shaped him. The statue at Heffron Park is not simply a monument to a sporting record. It is a marker of what the eastern suburbs, and Maroubra specifically, can produce when a young person grows up with the right environment around them.

The statue stands permanently outside the Rabbitohs’ training centre at the Heffron Centre, Heffron Park, Maroubra, and is accessible to visitors to the precinct.

Published 20-March-2026.

South Sydney Rabbitohs’ Player Jai Arrow Purchases New Maroubra Dream Home

South Sydney Rabbitohs player Jai Arrow has purchased his first home in Maroubra, just a few streets away from the team’s new, $58-million training complex.

Jai Arrow, who relocated from Queensland three years ago, purchased a fully renovated three-bedroom home for $2.24 million in the second week of the auction.

The 235 sqm property boasts a black kitchen, a Herringbone floored living and dining area, a covered deck, and a west-facing garden. The master retreat features a walk-in wardrobe and an ensuite. Despite its impressive features, the property was sold below the average price of $2.47 million for a three-bedroom house in the suburb.

Jai Arrow may have just purchased his first home in Sydney, but he continues to hold properties in Queensland, where he previously played for the Gold Coast Titans. He has a three-bedroom home in Burleigh Heads that he purchased for $635,000 in 2019. Then there is his 1970s Palm Beach property which he acquired for $750,000 the following year.

The median house price in Maroubra is currently hovering around $2.50 million. Recently, a house was sold for a staggering $18.45 million; that is 30 per cent more than the previous local record and even outshines the house price records of Coogee, Clovelly, and South Coogee.

Conveniently located just 10km from the CBD, Maroubra is connected to its urban neighbours, Kingsford and Randwick, and the residential Matraville, with Martin Place only a 35-minute bus ride away.

Published 30-April-2023

Revealed! First Look at the New Maroubra Home of the Rabbitohs

Ahead of its planned construction, the South Sydney Rabbitohs has unveiled their new home in Maroubra, where the team will be moving in before the 2023 NRL season rolls.

The new photos are the artist’s impression of the $58M state-of-the-art sports complex that will also include cafes, a merchandise shop, a special fan area for watching training, and a hall of fame section.

The new Rabbitohs facility will also be opened for community use for lectures, events, workshops, as well as access to the playing fields. The gymnastics facility and the indoor sports centres for volleyball, netball, badminton, and basketball will be operating seven days a week.

“The Heffron Centre will allow us to move our NRL, Women’s and NSW Cup teams and administrative, commercial and Souths Cares staff members to one site – with the rest of our representative pathways programs using Redfern Oval,” Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly said in an official press statement.

“Importantly it will also allow us to double the size and reach of our community programs which have already helped achieve over 400 Aboriginal employment placements, helped young people achieve their HSC, and helped over 7,600 students with health and well-being messages.”

Funding for the sports complex will come from the Federal and State Governments, as well as Randwick City Council. Construction is expected to begin in August 2021. Randwick Mayor Danny Said revealed that this is the Council’s biggest project, which has taken seven years to plan. Following the building’s opening, however, that the Rabbitohs will be saying goodbye to their old home in Redfern.

Heffron Centre Development: Concept Design Unveiled, Project to Bring 200 Jobs

The concept design for the Heffron Centre development in Maroubra has been unveiled following a public consultation in April 2020. The planned multi-purpose, state-of-the-art sports facility will move on with the development application, with an estimated target date of construction in mid-2021.

The new Heffron Centre will include two indoor sports halls with spectator seating and ample storage spaces. This site will house the Community and High-Performance headquarters of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Souths Cares.

Lecture rooms, gymnastic zones, training and operational areas, bathrooms for athletes and guests, as well as a merchandise shop were incorporated in the design, based on the residents of the locals.

Photo Credit: CO-OP Studio/Randwick City Council

Part of the centre will also include a cafe within an open plaza with both indoor and outdoor seating. The plaza is envisioned as a community hub for relaxation and socialisation.

An internal street will be built to link these facilities and connect the front and back of the site. Visitor areas for viewing the NRL training field will also be established.

“The concept designs have been informed by community feedback and are the result of more than four years of hard work, research, consultation and planning,” Randwick Mayor Danny Said stated in the unveiling of the concept design. “This is an exciting project that will see grassroots and elite sports co-exist at Heffron Park. It will also see the Rabbitohs move to their supporter heartland in Maroubra,” Mr Said added.

Randwick City Council and the South Sydney Rabbitohs were able to secure about $21 million in state and federal funding for the Heffron Centre. About 200 jobs will be generated once construction starts, with at least 60 ongoing jobs to be retained once the site is operational.

The Council expects the development to be completed in late 2022.