Latrell Mitchell's shock confession ahead of Rugby League World Cup

Australia's squad at the Rugby League World Cup would have gone without the talents of Latrell Mitchell, were it not for a last minute appeal from coach Mal Meninga.

Mitchell was in two minds about committing to the World Cup after a hectic NRL season in 2022, in which he had to dedicate a significant amount of time rehabbing an injured hamstring.

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Part of that process included a two-week trip to the US for specialist treatment - a decision that paid dividends as Mitchell returned late in the season to help guide South Sydney to a preliminary final.

Though they suffered a defeat at the hands of the eventual premiers Penrith, Mitchell showed his time away hadn't affected his ability to impact the game.

That being said, the time overseas earlier in the year, combined with the usual rigours of a bruising NRL campaign, had left Mitchell tossing up whether he was fully committed to the Kangaroos.

The Kangaroos have been desperate to secure the services of several high-profile NRL stars, with a number of key players deciding to represent their home countries of Samoa and Tonga among others.

Mitchell has played four internationals for Australia, and revealed how Meninga had played a crucial role in convincing him to don the green and gold once more.

“I was just thinking about the kids and just going back to my farm, to be honest,” Mitchell told Channel 9.

“It was a long year, I’ve had a pretty up-and-down, rollercoaster of a season.

“I was sort of contemplating, but big Mal gave me a call, and I just knew that it was something I wanted to be a part of.

“It was definitely hard getting on the plane and cruising, because I like staying on the land.”

While he took some convincing, it's clear there are no regrets on Mitchell's part over the decision.

He told Channel 9 it was a dream-come-true moment, recalling discussing the World Cup with senior colleagues when he first entered the NRL.

“I sort of pinch myself a little bit because I was an 18-year-old kid, 19-year-old kid asking the older fellas playing,” Mitchell said.

Mal Meninga agrees with critics of Kangaroos jersey re-think

Meanwhile, coach Meninga has agreed with the critics and blasted a move to change the traditional position-based numbers on the back of jerseys for a new system at the World Cup.

Australia has opted for a new number system at the World Cup in the UK, which will see players wear the number that represents the order in which they made their debut for their country within the team.

Penrith lock Isaiah Yeo traditionally wears No.13 for his club and will line-up in that position for the Kangaroos.

However, Yeo will wear No.24 for the Kangaroos during the World Cup based on the fact he hasn't debuted yet.

Meninga has now hit out at the organisers that raised the proposal two years ago, but still never informed him of the decision.

“We signed off on it about two years ago, so I have no real comeback on it… We had no idea when it was signed off on,” Meninga said on SEN.

“We have 13 debutants on tour, so the jersey that they get to play in for the very first test is their tour number, Isaiah Yeo is No.24 mainly because of where he sits on the alphabet, he is the premier 13 of our competition.

“It takes away from the excitement of your debutants in particular, having their very first test match jersey and it’s a number that doesn’t resonate with anyone, because it’s not the position he plays in.”

All the players will wear the jersey in order of when they made their debut, other than captain James Tedesco who will wear the No.1.

Halfback Daly Cherry-Evans will wear the No.2 jersey since he is the second-longest serving player and made his debut back in 2011.

Ben Hunt will wear the No.3 jersey.

The remaining players making their debut on the tour will wear the jersey number based on alphabetical order.

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