Where does the Manu hit leave the rest of Latrell?

Latrell. Amazing athlete. Mediocre mentally. Makes him above average, but not a great.

Great first article Paul. Welcome! I’ve always believed Latrell doesn’t play with respect. That was shown in spades on Friday night. He had no remorse for what he did to Manu, he slammed the football down on a rooster after he scored, mouthy the whole game as usual. You don’t have to be arrogant to be tough. Latrell has never realised that.

And what cost to the game? The images of Joey Manu's face that adorned the media the next day will cost the game for years. The NRL's 'limp' reaction even more indicative that they pay lip service to the notion of 'player welfare'.

Steve, I WAS a fan of Latrells until this incident. For the last couple of years I was hoping this young bloke from Taree would be the next big thing but not any more after that hit. One point in your post, it has been reported the touchy did see the hit and it was he who spoke to the bunker for it to be reviewed. Any injury is bad, facial fractures the worst. As for the six week penalty, it's as weak as p!$$. This is a case of a Jim Comans type of suspension, one which will turn Latrell into the player he can be. Souths will do OK without him, probably even better because he is not the best fullback in the club.

It’s a real shame for his team, their fans and himself that his ‘buttons’ are so easy to locate. He’s a great player and I really enjoy watching him play, his aggression needs to be toned down or he’ll spend even more time out of the game.

First of all Paul Monaro great article as you have made allot of good points and observations but, your different angles are really what constitutes Trell’s game and what he’s all about. Now let’s take Friday night’s game against the Roosters, this is and as the NRL builds it up game by game the biggest rivalry for over 108 years blah blah blah we and you and most don’t know the ins and outs and what niggle that Trell gets on the field and to what length(s) the opposition will go to? This is especially what has happened between Manu and Trell who and as they say "is his mate”. Also, this is especially from the Roosters that know Trell and know how to push his buttons and know his reactions. That tackle on Manu had to be made by a FB, yes it turned out very wrong but what if Trell didn’t make that tackle and the Roosters scored? What would everybody have said or Manu would have said to Trell? As the niggle must be there always (just like Chalmers v Evans that happened just the other week) we don't know? But one thing that I know is that all the press, commentators and critics would say that Manu is the million dollar player and WOW how good is he that he left Trell for dead and Trell is no FB, can’t tackle, he’s too overweight and lazy and hasn’t got a clue blah blah blah, it happens all the time. Ok I'll agree that Trell’s niggle and aggression goes overboard and is unnecessary at times but, that is Latrell Mitchell and that is the competitiveness and aggression that is part of his game. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone an injury that happened to Manu as I was shocked when I saw Manu’s face and then seeing the incident on replay, this was even when the touchy that was 2 meters away didn’t see and the bunker took 45 sec to realise and see (as Robo is saying) and the ref missed all together. I as a diehard Bunnies fan for over 60 years have accepted it as I’m sure that Trell has accepted it too, he will get 6 to 9 games suspension and his 2021 season will be over but “what else do all of you want”? As the way this is panning out all of you want Trell to be crucified and/or banned from playing in the NRL. Let’s all just calm down as I’m sure that Latrell Mitchell is prepared to accept his punishment but we certainly don’t want Trell to be uncompetitive and/or be handcuffed off his talents that make him what he is and as you so eloquently said “There are not many true rugby league fans who will turn away when Latrell Mitchell runs onto a football field. This player entertains with the skills of a halfback and the strength of a front rower” and we don’t want him to lose that!

Yeah, nah. I've watched more than 80% of Mitchell's games. To my eye, when he's on angry pills he loses control - the extreme adrenaline rush makes him go to any level to get one over, including getting nasty verbally, playing dirty & dangerous, charging hard at targets, often with flailing forearms/elbows/fists, feet nudging players on the ground, and basically & being an a-h to others and being unsportsmanlike. I'm talking about him spiking a ball with force an inch or two from the face of an innocent and defenceless kid on the ground, who had done zero to Latrell and has no history with him. I'm talking about him swearing back at Manu saying he wouldn't apologise, did nothing and, bizarrely, was protecting his own head (clearly zero basis for all of that). That's his good mate. He ran over 30m at pace in a bee-line to hit Manu (he was level with far goalpost at play-the-ball). He knew exactly who he was getting, as they had endless opposing training battles over 5 or 6 years coming through. There's a celebrated friendly competitive 'thing' between the two, oft quoted in media. Manu knew too - hence his direct reaction. His fight-or-flight is excessive and is 99.9% fight. It's how his body and brain is wired. It won't change with practice - only attitude and mental control. The long history of champion players shows that type of garbage is simply not mandatory. GI never had any of it. Nor big Mal. Nor any immortal. And next to zero Kangaroos in recent decades. I know the 60s was a violent era, and the 70s Magpies went overboard. Point is, it's not needed. Play super hard, but play fair and in-control. And with modern, charge system and judiciary, it will result in more damage to your own team than the opposition - see the Bunnies coming 2021 finals results. Cheers!

This is a very good first piece Paul. You've asked two very pertinent questions. What should Latrell Mitchell's mental approach be when playing and what will his legacy be, given that "tackle" on Manu? I think it's safe to say that every since he was a young fella, Mitchell's known he's a better footballer than most if not all of his competitors. That's guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face. In saying that, guys who are as good as him, don't need to run onto the paddock with a huge smile on the dial, they know they're that good, they're smiling mentally, ie they're in a good place to perform at their best. That's the Latrell Mitchell fans want to see. In terms of his legacy and how he'll be viewed, Much depends on what he does for the rest of his career. He's 24 and I'm guessing the way he plays and his size, he's got maybe 6 or 7 years left in the NRL. That should be plenty of time to turn his reputation around, which right now, is not great. I'm hoping the right people get in his ear with the right advice and more importantly, he listens, understands and makes the right choices. Hope to read more of your pieces in the future.

Good one, Paul Monaro, Most of my family are fanatical Souths supporters. They are grief stricken at the consequences of Latrell's actions. A suggested move to Canterbury is not appreciated.

I have to respectfully disagree with the ' Mitchell is a better player when he plays with a smile ' view. If Mitchell hadn't of hit Manu in the head with THAT tackle we would be reading today about one of the great individual performances of the year. He was all but unstoppable on Friday night. He decided to score, he scored. Unbelievable. He had taken the angry pills, and boy were they boosting his performance. To me Mitchell NEEDS to take it personal to reach those heights, he needs to strut and sledge. A timid Mitchell is not the same beast. Can he get on the angry pills without losing it completely , like on Friday. Probably not.

Nice first article Paul. Welcome to the jungle. I think you've nailed it. Mitchell's game looks 100% physical when he takes the field, but there's a Jekyll and Hyde mental component that he has to get under control.