‘Tough news to swallow’: Nathan Merritt, National Rugby League veteran, reveals two separate stage-4 cancer diagnoses; here’s what he said

Nathan Merritt, NRL great and South Sydney Rabbitohs legend, made a shocking revelation saying that he has been diagnosed with two separate forms of stage 4 cancer. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, the 42-year-old vowed to fight until the end, stating that he has no idea how long he has left to live.

The NRL veteran told the Daily Mail that he was hit with two separate, shattering diagnoses within four months of each other. “I've been diagnosed with stage four cancer—esophageal and liver cancer," Merritt told the British tabloid from near his Sydney home. “It's a bit of tough news to swallow, but I've just got to keep fighting 'til the end,” he said.

Nathan Merritt will start chemotherapy

“It's a tough pill to swallow for my kids and family. But it's good—it's going to be a tough one, but I'm going to fight through it. I'll start chemo. So I think it's two weeks on, two weeks off. That'll probably be my schedule at the hospital over the next few months going forward,” he further stated.

Merritt, who is a father of five, with children aged between 11 and 21, was diagnosed with the disease in his esophagus in November 2025, The Mail reported. Later, he was struck with liver cancer news just a few weeks ago. “I only found out that it was stage 4 a few weeks ago,' Merritt said.

Merritt reveals how he became aware of serious issues with health

Merritt explained how he first became aware that something was seriously wrong with his health. “You know, I had problems with my stomach," he said. “Just my stomach was blowing up on me a lot, and I initially got diagnosed in November for esophageal cancer,” he further stated.

Nathan Merritt: A glance at career and net worth

Nathan Merritt was born on Thursday, 26 May 1983, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He has received several honors and awards. These include an NRL Premiership in 2014, selection for the NRL All-Stars in 2010, and the Peter Frilingos Memorial—Headline Moment of the Year award in 2009, according to the data compiled by Rugby League Project based on data available in the RLP database.

Merritt retired in 2014 after 237 NRL games, including 218 for the Rabbitohs across two stints and 19 for Cronulla. He also made one appearance for the New South Wales rugby league team, played twice for the Prime Minister’s XIII, and represented the Indigenous All Stars on three occasions.

According to 7 News, the winger held the try-scoring record for the South Sydney Rabbitohs for eight years until Alex Johnston surpassed it in 2022, and he became only the ninth player in history to score 150 or more career tries. There is no specific information available regarding Merritt’s net worth.