South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL premiership winning star dies, aged just 31

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story contains the name and image of a deceased Indigenous person.

The national rugby league and the South Sydney Rabbitohs are mourning the loss of a grand final winning player after his sudden death this week.

Kyle Turner has died at age 31 in his home town of Coonabarabran after a stellar NRL career.

The country rugby league player shot to sporting stardom when he played for the Rabbitohs in their 2014 grand final win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

Capable of playing on an edge or in the middle at lock, Turner made 91 first-grade appearances for the Rabbitohs between 2014 and 2019.

He started from the bench in the side’s drought-breaking 2014 grand final victory, the culmination of a rookie season that yielded 24 games.

It was his maiden year in the top grade after playing for years in NRL youth teams, and he went on to play 25 games.

Injury hampered Turner’s time in first-grade. He notably suffered a serious neck injury in the 2015 All Stars match that forced him to undergo disc replacement surgery.

But Turner remained a fan favourite at Redfern, receiving the Burrow Supporters Group Appreciation Award at the club’s awards night in 2016.

Turner also represented his rural roots in the NSW Country and played for the Indigenous All Stars.

The backrower recovered and continued to be a regular player until 2019, when he was cut loose from the Rabbitohs after playing a total of 91 games for the side.

Turner retired at age 27 and moved back to his home town in rural NSW, where he became a teacher and continued to play local rugby league.

He also continued to make appearances for the Rabbitohs Souths Cares program.

Tributes are flowing for the young Rabbitohs star who was part of the 2014 premiership winning side and retired from the sport at age 27 

Tributes are flowing for the former NRL star online, with many fans expressing their shock over the tragic news.

‘Kyle was a quiet kid but everyone at the club loved him – he was one of the good ones,’ a Rabbitohs official told Wide World of Sports.

The Coonabarabran Unicorns Rugby League have updated their logo on social media with a black band to honour the life of Turner. 

‘Rest in peace Kyle Turner. So sad to hear he has passed away,’ one woman wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

‘He is a great player and a 2014 premiership winner. I met him at Eastgardens in 2016, thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.’

NRL fans agree Turner was ‘taken too soon’.

One person wrote online: ‘Always a 2014 Rabbitoh premiership player, taken away too soon. Only the good die young.’

Another person said the news was ‘terrible’.

‘(He) was always one of the nicest and most welcoming guys at Souths, and someone you were genuinely happy to see win a premiership in 2014,’ the social media user wrote.

‘Thinking of all his family and friends, along with everyone at Souths and Coonabarabran.’

 A childhood friend of Turner posted his tribute with the image of the Coonabarabran Unicorns unicorn with the black band.

‘Kyle Turner was one of my good mates from childhood. I wrote many yarns for the local paper, played countless games with him and shared a ton of great memories,’ they wrote,

‘My fondest being an embrace along the fence after the 2014 GF. Heartbreaking. A Unicorn forever.’

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are expected to make an official announcement on his passing this afternoon 

Lifeline 13 11 14

beyondblue 1300 22 4636

13YARN 13 92 76

Aboriginal Counselling Services 0410 539 905