Latrell Mitchell in staggering code switch development amid dramas surrounding NRL star
The Souths star is being eyed up as a potential target of World Rugby as they attempt to bring in superstar talent ahead of the Brisbane Olympics.
Latrell Mitchell is one of a host of NRL stars being viewed as a potential target of rugby sevens as the code looks to bring in Australian star power ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. World Rugby is encouraging the best players from all football codes to take up sevens rugby ahead of both the 2028 and 2032 Games so the best athletic talent can be on display on the world stage.
The main selling point is the chance for the athletes to win gold medals and join the likes of global sporting superstars Lionel Messi and LeBron James as Olympic champions. French rugby captain Antoine Dupont missed the Six Nations to take part in the Vancouver and Los Angeles Sevens tournaments so he could play at this year's Paris Olympics. While Sonny Bill Williams also code-hopped to compete for New Zealand at the Rio Games in 2016.
And now Australia's men's sevens team are hoping they can entice some of NRL's biggest stars such as Mitchell, Nathan Cleary and Reece Walsh to compete on the biggest sporting stage, following in the footsteps of former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper. Hooper made the jump to the seven-man sport in an attempt to make the upcoming Paris Games. He made his sevens debut in Hong Kong last week and is somewhat of a trailblazer for Australian sports stars to make the jump to try and win an Olympic medal.
One of the biggest hurdles is that both union and league administrators need convincing that the promotional value is worth letting their stars leave for a period of time. World Rugby are arguing it is a win-win, as the code's stars will have a wider reach and can potentially convert viewers to new fans of the sport the player is from. While it is a win for World Rugby and the Games' viewership as NRL or rugby union fans are more likely to be invested in watching the star play sevens.
Women's Sevens has players who compete in rugby union, AFLW and NRLW in the team
A prime example of how it would work is already in place with the Australian women's Sevens team. The side includes players who also compete in 15-a-side rugby as well as others who hold NRLW and AFLW contracts. And The Australian reports World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin is pushing hard for the best sportsmen and women to be given the chance to win a gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and Brisbane in eight years time.
"So whether we’re talking about LA or Brisbane, we absolutely want that so we’ve got to make sure it’s possible," Gilpin said. "We need to give players choices because we want recognisable stars that people relate to playing rugby sevens to keep lifting all the rugby sevens."
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Gilpin says he is well aware of the cutthroat competition between codes in Australia but believes the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and enough of a reason to allow these players to showcase their athletic talents to the world. "Australia is a great example where the (other) sports are all bigger so let’s collaborate and not compete," he said.
"We all want our kids to be inspired and to be more active so sport needs to stop competing within sport. So, how do we work together to elevate sport first? Australia is a great example of an incredibly competitive landscape for those sports and rugby has got to work with league and AFL."