- Latrell Mitchell undergoes tests to prove his fitness
- Souths want him to serve a one-match ban this weekend
- Sanctioned for image taken from a hotel room in Dubbo
Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell has undergone tests on an injured foot as Souths prepare medical evidence to prove he must serve his one-match suspension this weekend.
Mitchell was suspended for one game and also fined $20,000 by the NRL following 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 injury and suspension, with his latest injury setback coming in Round 18.
The suspension must be served once Mitchell is fit to play, and Souths maintain the star fullback would be medically fit to play this weekend against the Roosters had he not been suspended.
This means Mitchell could play in the first round of the 2025 season under new coach Wayne Bennett.
The NRL is understood to have told Souths they do not have to name Mitchell as part of their squad for this weekend’s game as long as they submit medical documents confirming his fitness by 4pm on Wednesday.
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.
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.
The superstar fullback has to serve a one-match suspension after being photographed in a hotel room standing on a white substance.
The NRL fined Mitchell $20,000 after the Integrity Unit concluded he had breached the sport’s code of conduct following a widely circulated image of a Dubbo hotel room (pictured)
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.
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.
If Souths can prove Mitchell is fit to play against the Roosters this weekend, he will be able to serve his suspension and be available for the Round 1 game of the 2025 season.
“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 big club and they will do what they can with Latrell.”
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