Braith Anasta lifts lid on explosive exchange with Latrell Mitchell outside Sydney restaurant Chin Chin

It was the explosive meeting outside a Sydney restaurant where Braith Anasta feared he was about to come to blows with one of the NRL’s scariest players. Now, Anasta reveals what went down between him and Latrell. WATCH THE VIDEO

Braith Anasta has lifted the lid on his explosive exchange with South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell outside famed Sydney restaurant Chin Chin last year, insisting the pair are now on good terms but there was a fleeting moment when he feared they would exchange blows.

Anasta, speaking on the Off the Record podcast with Phil Rothfield and Andrew Webster, was dining at Chin Chin last year when he was approached by an angry Mitchell, who was upset with comments around his form.

The pair took their exchange outside, where NRL360 host Anasta conceded he had concerns that Mitchell’s anger might bubble over

“I was thinking in my head, I can’t let him land the first one because I’ll be gone, because he’s a beast,” Anasta said.

“I’d be lying if I said at some point, I didn’t think it might happen. I can understand what he was going through and I can understand how frustrating it is when people have an opinion and you just want to play footy.

“He could have easily called me. He could have easily … and I would have spoken to him about it.”

Braith Anasta feared he was about to come to blows with Latrell Mitchell. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for GQ Australia

As it was, Mitchell made his feelings known to Anasta in full view of Chin Chin patrons. Unsurprisingly given the public nature of the exchange, it found its way into the media.

Anasta insisted the pair had moved on and were now fine.

“Okay, let me get something clear here – before I tell it, me and Latrell are fine,” he said.

“It’s not about putting shit on him. I don’t want that. But what actually happened was, I finished NRL360 and … by Wednesday night, I just want to have a beer, and have something to eat and just relax.

“So, I’ve gone to Chin Chin’s to meet someone there. I hadn’t even ordered. I had my back to the restaurant. So I couldn’t see anything other than who I was having dinner with.

Latrell Mitchell was incensed over Anasta “having a crack” at him on NRL 360. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“Anyway, I hadn’t even ordered a drink and I get this tap on my shoulder. I look over my shoulder and it’s Latrell. I coached Latrell in the (under) 20s, always had a good relationship with him, and I didn’t think anything of it.

“He goes, ‘no, no, no, no. I’m sick of you having a crack at me on 360, yada, yada, yada’. I’m thinking, is he joking here, or is he serious?

“And he goes, let’s go outside. By that point, people are looking at us, right? It’s the middle of Chin Chin’s. It’s a busy night. I thought, I need to de-escalate this, or at the very least, I need to get this out of this restaurant, right?

Braith Anasta insists he and Latrell Mitchell are now on good terms. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“We go out the front and he just lays, he lays into me, right? He’s standing over the top of me and he’s having his whack.

“I’m like, man, okay, slow down. Because there was nothing making sense. It was just abuse. I said, ‘mate, what am I doing that isn’t right? Is there something that I’m wrong with? Can you just explain to me what you’re angry with?’

“They were coming last at the time. I don’t know if it was a week or two before, but I’d shown some vision of him at fullback.

“I watch every game of every player … and there were just a few instances where I thought he could be better.

“In that instant, he was over the top of me. I didn’t back down at all. I gave as good as I got.”

Mitchell has returned to top form this season, starring for NSW in the opening State of Origin game and almost single-handedly dragging Souths over the line against the Warriors last weekend.

Originally published as Braith Anasta lifts lid on explosive exchange with Latrell Mitchell outside Sydney restaurant Chin Chin