Roosters captain Boyd Cordner says Latrell Mitchell contract saga has become a ‘circus’
Roosters captain Boyd Cordner has spoken for the first time about the Latrell Mitchell contract drama and made his preference clear.
NRL
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Boyd Cordner would love Latrell Mitchell to honour the final year of his contract at the Sydney Roosters in 2020 but he won’t hold a grudge if he leaves for another club to secure his future.
Speaking for the first time since Mitchell’s contract extension talks blew up, Cordner expressed his desire for the star centre to remain at Bondi.
However, he also understands if the Test and Origin flyer departs for a rival club.
“Who wouldn’t want Latrell? We love him at the Roosters and he is a mate of mine,” Cordner said.
“His talent speaks for itself. And speaking to Latrell, he loves the club too.
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“But at the same time, people go to different clubs. That is just the nature of our game, so if it is the best thing for him and his family to go to another club, then that is his decision and you have to respect that.
“But at this point, he is a Rooster and we love that.
“I caught up with him the other day at training and it wasn’t about that (his contract) at all.
“It was basically catching up. To be honest he seems okay but it is one of those things with him being such a superstar in our game at a young age.
“Everyone wants to know what he is doing.”
In a bid to avoid constant speculation over contracts, the NRL could step in and stop players from talking to rival clubs with a year to run on their deal.
Cordner, though, isn’t sure if this would work.
“It is hard because players want security,” he said.
“So if you are going into a year with no deal beyond that and if you get injured, it is going to take a massive hit to your salary.
“I think it is a good thing that the game has done where you can get that security, which is paramount in our game with the physicality that we play with.
“I’m not sure whether it is a sitting down and changing anything.”
Cordner has deliberately avoided Mitchell during the contract saga to give him space and time to make a decision.
“It has just been a bit of a circus at the moment,” he said.
“It’s not that he is doing anything wrong by the rules. It has just got out of hand and it has snowballed.
“Even when I was overseas on holidays I’d read all the news on my phone.
“I’ve just left him alone. He has obviously got a lot of people telling him what to do and what not do to and I don’t want to add noise.
“He is his own man.”