Latrell Mitchell is 26 and 160 NRL games into his career but he may have already peaked at a time when he should be entering his prime.
He is in danger of sabotaging his career and never truly living up to his prodigious talent in what should be the prime years of his time in the NRL because of his careless and occasionally petulant ways.
These manifest in ways such as his cheap shot on Tyson Frizell in the dying stages of South Sydney’s loss to the Knights in Newcastle on Sunday.
There’s no excuse – there was clear intent from Mitchell to hit Frizell from behind after he was tackled and it was only through good luck rather than anything else that his elbow stuck the Knights forward in the back before clipping him in the head.
It wasn’t the worst piece of foul play you will see on a rugby league field but it was unnecessary and it has cost his team dearly as the Rabbitohs will now go into their Round 27 showdown with the Roosters with a playoff berth on the line without their star fullback.
And it is the continuation of a theme of ill discipline which has dogged Mitchell’s career – he now has racked up nine stints in the sin bin to sit alongside Roosters lock Victor Radley for the most in NRL history.
Mitchell copped plenty of criticism, and unfortunately some horrendous online abuse from keyboard cowards, when he laid out former teammate Joey Manu a couple of years ago with a high shot.
That was a tackle that went wrong – it wasn’t necessarily malicious and Mitchell was remorseful, apologising to his old centre partner straight after the game, which Manu graciously accepted.
Those things happen in the breakneck speed of the NRL arena and Mitchell paid a heavy price with his ban ruling him out of South Sydney’s playoff campaign which finished a sideline conversion shy of the Panthers in the Grand Final.
The ongoing problem for Mitchell has been that he is frequently losing his cool on the playing field and not focusing on what matters.
Seemingly little things like conversion attempts sum up the Mitchell dilemma – with his booming left boot he can nail kicks from the sideline without raising a sweat but he can be lackadaisical closer to the posts, such as a shot from adjacent to the sticks on the weekend which bounced away off the upright.
Latrell Mitchell. (Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images)
Sometimes professional sportspeople have too much success early in their career and they lack that infinitesimal and indefinable extra element of hunger that’s needed to scale those heights again.
Mitchell made his NRL debut in the opening round of 2016 and two years later he was a premiership winner at the Roosters.
The following year he had two premiership rings, all before his 23rd birthday.
He’s held aloft the State of Origin shield with NSW and the World Cup as a key part of the Kangaroos squad last year.
The proud Biripi and Wiradjuri man has represented the Indigenous All Stars five times and as a senior statesman for his people, he’s already established a legacy as a leader for this generation alongside the likes of Cody Walker, Ryan James and Wade Graham.
He’s spoken frequently about his love for cattle farming and how he plans to return to Taree once his career is over – hopefully that day is many years away but it could be closer than many people think and Rabbitohs fans want.
Mitchell is under contract until the end of 2027 but many NRL stars who hit the big time as teenagers tend to retire earlier as the physical and mental grind of this extremely tough sport takes its toll.
He’s similar in a lot of ways to Mark Gasnier, who was another hyped-up prospect when he entered the league who was a bit of a wandering soul who took a detour via French club rugby before returning to St George Illawarra to win a premiership in 2010 and then retiring the following year a few months after turning 30.
Hopefully Mitchell plays well into his 30s, if that’s his desire, because in the age of automatons who speak in cliches, his candour and honesty is refreshing.
(Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Characters are thin on the ground in the NRL and he’s also an amazing talent with skills that are the envy of at least 99% of opponents.
With reports emerging that Mitchell and Walker are having too much sway in the dressing room, coach Jason Demetriou has been forced to respond by saying that is not the case.
These are the kinds of dramas that emerge when a team is falling short of expectations.
After five straight trips to at least the preliminary final stage, they won’t even qualify for the playoffs unless they locate their missing form during the bye week and beat the Roosters next Friday at Accor Stadium.
All season long they have had a “she’ll be right” attitude.
Lose a few games during Origin season? That’s alright, we’ll be right once it’s over.
Key players out injured? Doesn’t matter, they’ll all be back soon.
Dropped out of the top four? We can string a few wins together and get back up there.
It hasn’t clicked and it’s too late now. Since they were in first spot in Round 11, they’ve won just four of 12 outings.
The clock is not ticking but time stands still for no team. Souths are at an interesting juncture with their roster.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Walker and Damien Cook have two more years left on their contract and probably in their careers but the nucleus of their team is in the sweet spot of their career like Cameron Murray, Alex Johnston and Jai Arrow or on the rise like Campbell Graham and Keaon Koloamatangi.
And they also have the rather substantial addition of Jack Wighton heading their way next year.
So in no way is their premiership window closing but the 2023 season is almost certainly going to be a write-off.
After being so close to the title for five straight years, missing the finals could turn out to be a good thing for them if it delivers the wake-up call to Mitchell and co that there’s no time like the present to make the most of your opportunities.
Heyou
Roar Rookie
That’s da truth.
steveng
Roar Rookie
Latrell is a sore loser, you can see it in his eyes and the anger he has, and its not a good sign as he must have been always allowed to be a spoilt brat, there is no excuse(s) for his behavior! But I blame the coaching staff allot as they l know Latrell's anger, as for the life of me, I don't understand why they didn't take him off, that Fritzell incident was right at the end of that game and Latrell wasn't needed on the field, JD and the coaching staff (which as it looks like, SamB and Morris are not there) should have used their noggins especially when they know that Latrell is going to go off and be suspended like he was, as the Knights game was lost and Latrell was need for the most crucial and important game in two weeks' time against the Chooks, where is the common sense of these people, as that is why I'm coming out and having a go at the Bunnies, as it looks that there is alot more behind all this than what JD is making out.
Cam
Roar Rookie
It's weird considering his big game experience, but it's almost like the pressure gets to him.
steveng
Roar Rookie
Cam, that is all well and good, but with Latrell its becoming a pattern that whenever this time of the season comes up, he does something that either he gets suspended and/or he goes missing, that is just not good enough for a player of his exceptional talent and experience and the money that he is on! I hope that the Bunnies win next Friday week but looking at this game realistically and not as a one-eyed Bunnies fan, the Chooks have been a very good side lately and are in form, just like the Knights are also, as who would have thought that the Knights would dominate a full-on Bunnies side like they did last Sunday. The Bunnies since R13 to R22 in 9 games without Latrell and with virtually the same players, has had 5 losses, 2 byes and 2 wins against the Titans and the Warriors which was a great win, but there is NO chance in hell that the Bunnies will beat a determined in form Chook side that this game depends on them making the 8, hope I'm very wrong but the latest starts don't lie, All in all I can't see the Bunnies unfortunately winning on Friday 1st of September 2023, as that will be the Bunnies last 2023 NRL game and this season should be a good lesson that there is definitely something drastically wrong inside the Souths Sydney RL club Mangement and not brush it off as nothing or a rumor! .
Cam
Roar Rookie
On face value, it feels like you are spot on. But scratch a bit deeper and realistically, there might only be a handful of clubs currently willing to spend $1m-$1.5m a season for Latrell to play fullback. Although he is almost a generational player, there are some really, really good fullbacks out there. I mean, the Storm aren’t dropping Papenhuyzen, the Panthers have Dylan Edwards, Reece Walsh at the Broncos, the Knights have Ponga, the Sea Eagles have Turbo, the Roosters have Teddy, the Cowboys have Drinkwater, the Warriors have CNK and Tuivasa-Sheck, Eels have Gutho and the Dolphins have Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. The clubs who are definitely in need of a fullback are the Raiders, the Bulldogs, the Dragons and to a lesser extent the Titans (AJ Brimson/Jayden Campbell), the Dolphins (The Hammer), the Tigers (Bula) and the Sharks (Will Kennedy). He would 100% get snapped up and possibly for record money, but the queue to buy him would be fairly short. Hypothetically, if he hit the market tomorrow, I’d tip he’d go to the Dogs to play with Josh Addo-Carr or to the only top 8 team in the mix which is the Raiders. Which would be ironic, being Jack Wighton just left there to play with Latrell. Regardless, he aint going anywhere, Souths will sack the coach and most of his team mates before considering releasing Latrell.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Both had injury problems I believe. The Wolf was incredibly valuable for a while. His charges into the teeth of the Storms forwards live long in my memory. Like most Manly players form that era it didn't do his body a lot of good though. Gartner was close to the best backrower in the comp for a while.
Bernie
Roar Rookie
TB...please, please ..... can we not talk about 1985, i was having such a nice morning, and then .....
Cam
Roar Rookie
The major difference is the Broncos are at the top of the ladder. And for 100 years that has been the determining factor to whether players are called out for questionable behaviour. If Souths are winning, the Luke Combs thing would be just an amusing byline and not an indication of poor club culture. His lack of effort last week would be just a "bad day at the office", not an indicator of poor attitude. There is something going on at the club, the team has been in freefall for a couple of months and the sacking of Burgess would indicate pushback from the coach and board. They are a strong club and will work through it, I reckon their will also be a couple of players moved on over the off season.
Cam
Roar Rookie
NRL clubs are fine-tuned like race horses and it really doesn't take much to push results one way or the other. BBQ-gate at the Dragons and Jersey-gate at Manly are recent examples of the wheels coming off in spectacular fashion. Off the back of sacking Burgess (which is massive) and the suspension of Mitchell and the amount of media attention it has generated, it would stun me if they can beat the Roosters next week. If they do get up, I'd rate it as one of their best wins since 2014. It is a real shame Latrell is scrubbed for the match, I'd love to see his on-the-field response to the amount of negative publicity he has received the past few days. Good luck next week Steve!
Cam
Roar Rookie
He has been playing really well at hooker in Reggies and might make a legit NRL hooker.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I think most (if not all) premiership winning sides have a match winner in their team that provides the clutch moments… Mortimer, Johns, Cleary, Lamb, Kenny, Langer, etc… but they don’t do it all themselves Mortimer won four premierships with the Dogs and is an all time great. But you look at the teams he played in in 1980, 84, 85 and 88 and he definitely didn’t carry those teams himself. He was a key player in some great sides It would be like saying Cleary has won these last two premierships on his own
Bernie
Roar Rookie
The Wolfman - what a skyrocket of a career that guy had. D.Gartner was more due to injuries ??
Panthers
Roar Rookie
Or what Luai said. :laughing:
Panthers
Roar Rookie
Imagine how good he could have been, if he was fit & not a chain smoker?
Panthers
Roar Rookie
I remember one premiership win by the dogs . ‘Turvey’ turned some games by himself. Perhaps the closest thing to carrying the club to a premiership winning season?
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I used to go out to the SCG to watch Shield games, back in the days when Doug Walters was playing. You knew he was going to bat, but had no idea whether he'd make a duck or a hundred. More often than not, he'd get runs and occasionally get a really big score but it was always exciting. LM is a similar drawcard in the NRL.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
Yep. I was so happy that Martin wanted to stay at Penrith. He sets the example for the other forwards. Despite not being the most talented dummy half , Kenny does similar & is often overlooked.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Hiring any player with risks. It's down to how well both the Club and the individual manage those risks. Look at all the issues every Club has to deal with as their young players come through. Remember all the nonsense Penrith have had to put up with from Nathan Cleary and Luai, for example. And what about all the nonsense that happened at the Dragons during covid? The trick is finding the right buttons to push that allows each person a chance to play their best footy while managing their personas and/or issues. Sometimes that simply doesn't work and you're right, paying that player as a pro would be seen as a mistake.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
He’s quite the draw card , for South’s. Every South’s supporter wants to see him play . You never know what Mitchell is going to do either? Which creates interest from all supporters. Never let it be forgotten that he was a Big part of the Roosters GF wins , when at that club. Now South’s just want that player to do the same for them .
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Fair enough.