Latrell Mitchell meets with North Queensland Cowboys officials as he ponders his future in the NRL
Latrell Mitchell has arrived in Townsville for talks with the Cowboys as the dual-premiership winning centre explores his options for the 2020 season.
NRL
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Premiership-winning centre Latrell Mitchell has met with Cowboys officials in Townsville as NRL clubs race to secure the 22-year-old’s signature for the 2020 season.
Mitchell flew in to Townsville Monday to “meet with club representatives”, according to a Cowboys spokesperson, as the NSW Origin sensation ponders his next move in the NRL.
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It comes after the Roosters pulled a two-year, $800,000-a-season contract extension for Mitchell from 2021, with coach Trent Robinson yesterday conceding they had to “move on” from their star centre.
North Queensland remained tight-lipped about the private meeting as they continue to weigh up the option of signing Mitchell for next year.
The club has around $1 million to spend under the salary cap for 2020 and beyond – money which had initially been set aside to lure former NRL star Valentine Holmes to North Queensland from the US.
The Cowboys can only afford to sign one superstar player and with Holmes’ NFL campaign set to end in January, he will have to make a decision soon as to whether he will continue his NFL dream.
“I think he wants to play fullback,” Robinson told SEN on Monday.
“I think that’s his desire, so he’s going to go and explore the opportunities. It’s as simple as that. There’s no angst there.
“It’s just, he’s out there looking at the moment.
“There’s a lot been said but Latrell’s a good man and he’s delivered for the Roosters, and he wants to explore his opportunities.
“It’s just, we can’t sit and wait for that to happen. We’ve got to move on as well.”
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The Tigers are also in the hunt for Mitchell’s services, with coach Michael Maguire and CEO Justin Pascoe recently visiting the representative player in his hometown of Taree.
Recently-appointed Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis made no secret of the club’s pursuit of Mitchell.
“There’s no point in being coy,” Hagipantelis told Big Sports Breakfast.
“We want Latrell at the Tigers next year. There’s no doubt about that.”
Another key piece in the Tigers’ Taree recruitment trip was the club’s head of football Adam Hartigan, who joined them from the Roosters in July.
Hartigan was on the coaching staff of the SG Ball team that featured Mitchell, who was man-of-the-match in their grand final win in 2014.
The game was played at the Tigers’ spiritual home of Leichhardt Oval.
Should the joint-venture land Mitchell, he’ll arrive two years after the Tigers watched James Tedesco depart on a big-money deal to the Roosters.
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