Player cuts off finger to play for NRL club

Sydney - South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Angus Crichton has taken the radical step of amputating part of a troublesome finger so he can play in next season's National Rugby League, a report said on Friday.

The 21-year-old, in his last season with the club before a big money switch to local rivals Sydney Roosters, has had his middle finger on his left hand cut off.

The player's manager David Rawlings confirmed to Fox Sports that the amputation below the middle knuckle was done earlier this week.

Crichton has had ongoing problems with the finger necessitating several surgeries after rupturing the tendon while playing earlier in his career.

He essentially has no knuckle, which severely limited his range of movement and led to numerous fractures.

"It's the middle finger in my left hand and, a while back, I got it fused. I've got no knuckle in it," Crichton said earlier this year.

"The doctor said I could either cut it off halfway or fuse it. I've had it fused several times now because I keep breaking it.

"I can't bend the finger. If I clench my fist, my middle finger sticks out."