Mitchell has come under fire for attending a country rodeo instead of Souths’ match against the Sharks.
The Rabbitohs have defended Latrell Mitchell’s choice to attend a country rodeo rather than cheer on his Souths teammates during their crucial Saturday night match against Cronulla. Mitchell is an injured fullback. Mitchell was hundreds of kilometres away in the northern NSW town of Casino for a truck exhibition when the Bunnies suffered yet another loss, this time a 20-6 loss to the Sharks.
After suffering a Lisfranc injury in round 18, Mitchell has been out of action. It was decided that he didn’t need surgery right away, so he is expected to return in round 24. Though Souths were mathematically eliminated from the finals after their loss last weekend, there is a good chance he will be rested for the balance of the Bunnies’ campaign.
However, the NFL community wasn’t very fond of Mitchell’s weekend excursion, with some wondering why he wasn’t rooting for his colleagues in a game that might mean the difference between life and death. “We’re excited to announce that Latrell Mitchell, the Winmarra team, and fellow Rabbitohs player Ben Lovett will be at our Casino Truck Show bull ride this Saturday night,” J & J Rodeo wrote on social media. There will be an opportunity to sign autographs with the football great when you meet them in person.
Mitchell wasn’t just in Casino for fun; he was also there to promote Winmarra, his apparel line. However, that didn’t stop some supporters from wondering why he was taking a brief vacation while his team was playing for their season about 800 km away. However, according to The Daily Telegraph, Souths gave him permission to go to the function.
Blake Solly, the chief executive of the Souths, was also eager to emphasise that he travelled three hours each way to attend the away game in Canberra last weekend. According to Solly, “Latrell and Ben Lovett were in Casino doing some community work on Saturday.”
“They came to Canberra for our encounter last Sunday, so it wasn’t expected that they would be at Cronulla for the game. A number of our athletes have taken brief vacations in recent weeks to recuperate from their arduous and repetitious labour in rehabilitation, but regrettably we currently have a long-term injury list that is quite long.
Latrell Mitchell set to be sent for surgery?
With a weaker for-and-against record and four points outside of the top eight in the NRL, the Rabbitohs, in 15th place, had little chance of making the finals coming into play last weekend. With only five games remaining and six points out of the eight, those dreams are dashed after the setback.
Nonetheless, it allows the Souths to send Mitchell for surgery before to the season’s conclusion, allowing them to have their lynchpin healthy and productive in 2025. So far this season, Mitchell has only played 11 games for the Rabbitohs due to injuries, suspension, and Origin.
Jye Grey has filled in admirably, if not spectacularly, but he is a more than worthy successor for the balance of the season. Last month, Souths interim coach Ben Hornby also disclosed that if Mitchell’s condition worsens to the point that Souths are eliminated from the playoffs—a predicament they currently find themselves in—he will probably be referred for surgery.
“He doesn’t feel like it is too sore at the moment, so that is keeping him a bit more upbeat than if it was completely gone,” Hornby stated a month ago. “We sincerely hope he won’t need surgery. I’m not a doctor, and we can’t foresee that. In four weeks, we’ll see how the scan goes.
