Latrell Mitchell has been praised for breaking his self imposed media ban and giving the fans more of an insight to one of the best and most exciting players in the game.
Mitchell is arguably in the form of his career at the moment, as the Rabbitohs have surged into the top four this season and after 18 months not speaking to the media, he finally broke his silence.
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“Trellavision is back, not only is he back on our screens talking to us, but he’s definitely back in a big way this year,” Braith Anasta said on NRL 360.
“His form has been off the charts and it’s good to hear from him again.”
Gorden Tallis feels the fans deserve to hear from Mitchell and pointed out that he is very good at interacting with fans on social media.
“Absolutely, I follow him on social media, he’s big on that and he talks to a lot of his fans, but there’s a lot of people that probably don’t have social media now with the kids, so it’s great that he’s talking to the South Sydney fans, especially the way they’re playing,” Tallis said.
The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio explained that journalists can help Latrell and other athletes tell their story in their own words, rather than just have an opinion on players.
“It’s important our best talent do speak to the media and to the fans,” Riccio said.
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“As journalists, we want everyone to talk, but ultimately our job is to convey the message of the player, the athlete, their story, their history, how they’re feeling about not only this season, the past seasons and tell the stories and by Latrell talking, we can do that.
“We’re not just having an opinion on Latrell. It’s his words and we’re taking that into account, and he’s been able to tell his story.”
Paul Crawley feels Mitchell may have been burnt by his own honesty getting him into trouble early in his career, which may have contributed to his decision to stay away.
“What I want to see most from Latrell is him play his best rugby league and I think that sometimes in the past, Latrell rightly or wrongly, can say something that just blows up into something he may not have intended it to be, but those quotes stay there forever,” Crawley said.
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“And I think that he’s obviously struggled to deal with that. And at the moment, there’s been a lot of talk in recent weeks. People were getting a little bit tired of the fact he was getting away with not talking to the media.
“My understanding is he sat down and had a talk with Wayne about it and they thought, now’s the time, you’re in good form, Origin’s coming up, let’s break the ice.
“And I think if he handles it well, it won’t be a burden for him, but sometimes he’s just been too honest for his own good.
“As a young man, he would come out and say some things that maybe just went a little bit too far or patted himself on the back a bit too much and I think at times it’s probably blown up in his face.”
However, Tallis pointed out that players with the honesty of Mitchell are rare and should be encouraged.
“But don’t we like that like that? Willie Mason was one of those guys. I loved it,” Tallis said.
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Ricico pointed out that the abuse Mitchell has received on social media may have also been a factor in his media ban.
“He’s caught a lot of social media crap and it’s completely unnecessary,” Riccio said.
“It’s ridiculous the type of crap he’s copped, but that shouldn’t take away from the brilliant football he is.
“Has he been in better form? He’s got 11 tries in eight games this season. 52 tackle busts. 17 offloads and 10 linebreaks.”
Anasta praised MItchell’s selflessness after he revealed he went to Wayne Bennett and told him he would play wherever the team needed him to, in order to help them win.
“He’s been in great form and he’s got that steely look in his eye too, which is dangerous for any opposition that is taking on Souths,” Anasta said.
“I don’t know if he has been in better form. It was like Mal Meninga on a weekend. When he went over the top of Ponga, he stood no chance. He made it look so easy.
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“And it coincides with his move from full back to centre. And he said today that he went to Wayne Bennett and pretty much said, wherever you want to put me coach, I’ll play there. He was the one that put his hand up, and was happy to make the move.”
Crawley agreed Mitchell’s form and attitude speaks volumes of the culture amongst the Souths team under Bennett this season.
“Other than Greg Inglis I don’t think I’ve seen a player that could have scored that try like that,” Crawley said.
“Ponga hit him with everything he had, and Latrell just danced down the sideline.
“I think common sense told us that with Jye Gray now in the team and the way that the game has changed and the speed of the game at the moment, Latrell’s best position is centre.
“So it’s a team-first mentality there at the moment and I think the way that the Rabbitohs are playing football shows that.”
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