Latrell Mitchell will return to football during the NRL grand final, but NOT with Souths

Latrell Mitchell won’t be playing NRL football again this year, but the Rabbitohs superstar will soon lace up his football boots to play rugby league for Taree in the Koori Knockout.

Mitchell, 27, was suspended for one game and also fined $20,000 by the NRL after his ill-fated trip to Dubbo on the weekend of August 10 and 11.

The star full-back has played just 11 games for the club in 2024 due to injuries and suspensions, with his latest injury setback coming in Round 18.

But Mitchell has recovered from his Lisfranc foot injury and plans to play in the Koori Knockout, which is scheduled to take place during grand final week at Bathurst.

“Latrell is fit and available to play,” Souths chief executive Blake Solly said. News Corporation.

‘We support the tournament and any of our players who are fit, available and want to play, we support them to participate in it.

“It is an important event for them and the community.”

The Bunnies, Premier League heavyweights in the eyes of many pundits before the ball was kicked, will miss out on the NRL top eight again after coach Jason Demetriou was sacked in April.

It will be Mitchell’s first time playing football since being injured in Round 18.

Mitchell has at times been a magnet for controversy: he was suspended for three matches after a late elbow on Warriors scrum-half Shaun Johnson, and then became involved in a war of words with Anthony Mundine that dragged on for weeks after the Spencer Leniu and Ezra Mam racism saga in Las Vegas.

Add to that Mitchell’s expletive-filled interview with Triple M, followed by his public falling out with NRL 360 host Braith Anasta at a Sydney restaurant, and it’s understandable that club bosses have had enough.

‘Trell Mit’ helped the NSW Blues win the Origin series with a standout performance in the second game at the MCG, only to then be injured against the Eels in an incident that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

The Rabbitohs star has indicated he will play for Taree this year after featuring for Newcastle in the 2023 Koori Knockout.

Wayne Bennett’s return to the club in 2025 as head coach could go a long way to ensuring Mitchell stays on the right path.

They share a close bond and Bennett hopes to return to working with the indigenous model.

“I’ll be there for him and hopefully I can give them (South Sydney) the help they need,” Bennett said recently.

“He’s in good hands and he’s a good person. I have a lot of time for Latrell.

“South Sydney will deal with it. They are a great club and they will do the right thing with Latrell.”