Latrell Mitchell cops new ban from South Sydney as fresh NRL retirement fears emerge
The Rabbitohs fullback has copped a new blow from his own club amid a three-game suspension.
Latrell Mitchell has reportedly been told by South Sydney officials that he can't travel to his farm in Taree during his three-game suspension from the NRL. The Rabbitohs fullback will miss the next month of football after elbowing Shaun Johnson in the face last weekend, which comes as terrible timing for embattled coach Jason Demetriou as he fights to save his job.
But Mitchell reportedly copped a new ban by the club this week after being barred from using his time out of the game to travel to his farm. The 26-year-old often likes to get away from Sydney and head out to Taree to get away from the spotlight, but that won't be happening over the next month.
Braith Anasta reported on NRL 360 on Monday night that Souths officials have told Mitchell he must remain in Sydney during his suspension. “The leadership of the club have to acknowledge and take responsibility, instead of trying to change the narratives or agendas through papers and articles and trying to give these players excuses and instead of making the hard calls, have to change what has been happening inside these four walls for a long time," Anasta said.
“They want to discipline the players, now they are telling Latrell (Mitchell) he can’t go to the farm, but the horse has bolted. It’s from the top down to the bottom. If you are a leader there you need to make the tough calls, you need to identify the club isn’t in a good position before it gets out of hand, but they’ve let it get completely out of hand and now they’ve lost complete control.”
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mitchell will also hold a meeting with Souths officials this week to discuss his tumultuous start to the year. But Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly told the publication the meeting with scheduled weeks ago.
“The meeting was scheduled well before the match against the Warriors,” he said. “Everyone at the club is invested in getting the best from Latrell on the field this season.”
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Michael Ennis urges Latrell Mitchell to send a message
It comes after Michael Ennis urged Mitchell to remain around the club during his ban to send a message to his teammates. “You don’t always get it right on the footy field, but where Latrell is at at the moment, he needs to go away over these next three weeks and have a real think about how his actions affect the team," Ennis said. "That doesn’t mean that he goes to Taree for three weeks. It cannot happen.
“What Latrell Mitchell needs to do, and what Jason Demetriou needs to do when he talks about his leadership at the club. He needs to come in, and Latrell Mitchell needs to be at training every single morning at 6am before any other player gets there.
“He needs to dive in and show his teammates and the club what he’s going to do on return, that is the key because Latrell is such a big player in this club. He needs to send a message and this is an opportunity now with three weeks out of the game, not to step back and have a break, it’s about diving in. Get there every single morning, train your backside off for the next three weeks and show your teammates the season is still alive.”
Phil Gould thinks Latrell Mitchell might walk away from NRL
Meanwhile, Phil Gould has sparked new concerns about Mitchell's future in the game, saying he wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly walks away from the game. "If he woke up tomorrow and decided I'm not going to play rugby league and went away to his farm, I would not be surprised," Gould said on 100% Footy on Monday night.
"Has anyone ever sat Latrell down and said 'do you really want to play this game? Are you really in love with this game? Do you love the hard work? Do you love the discipline? Do you love your teammates? Do you love the club?' ... or is it just 'I'll do it because I'm good at it but I'll do it my own way'.
"Has someone actually sat him down and said if you had a chance to walk away, would you go? I reckon he would. I reckon he will, I don't see that he's in love with it at all."