Rugby league community holds breath ahead of Latrell’s fullback reveal
Mudgee’s most popular ratepayer believes Latrell Mitchell’s move to fullback will be bigger than Ben-Hur, with a record crowd set to witness one of rugby league’s most anticipated positional switches.
Roosters
Don't miss out on the headlines from Roosters. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TIPS.COM.AU: Over $2 million in prizes to be won
LEARN THEM: The five golden rules of footy tipping
Latrell Mitchell has represented NSW, Australia and last year scored more points than any other player in the NRL.
“But he’s going to be better again at fullback,” South Sydney five-eighth Cody Walker insists.
“The skill set Latrell has shown already training in the position, it’s amazing.
“There’s been so many things we’ve seen him do in pre-season, like pick the ball from the ground with one hand and flick it on … it’s why everyone here is so excited.”
LIVE stream the 2020 NRL pre-season Trials with KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
After a summer of seemingly endless hype, the Latrell Mitchell Experiment finally kicks off in Mudgee on Saturday as the 22-year-old Australian Test star begins his new life in South Sydney’s No.1 jersey.
Despite being the undeniable Charity Shield story, Mitchell has been kept away from media all week, with even Souths coach Wayne Bennett refusing to comment on his star recruit after a Friday morning Captains Run.
Yet while plenty of critics are questioning whether Mitchell can handle the switch to fullback, players from both sides of the Shield clash are tipping the Indigenous All Star to rise above the form that has seen him secure State caps, Test jerseys, even two NRL premierships in as many years.
FOOTY TIPS! Join Australia’s best footy tipping competition for your chance to win big. Add our experts to your league and join now at TIPS.COM.AU.
Speaking with The Saturday Telegraph, St George Illawarra hooker Isaac Luke suggested Mitchell had the ability to make as strong a switch to fullback as Rabbitohs favourite and Queensland Origin legend Greg Inglis.
Mudgee’s most popular ratepayer Kenny Sutcliffe also suggested the Indigenous All Star carried with him the same “magic” that had been own by legendary St George fullback Graeme ‘Changa’ Langlands.
“Latrell is the guy everyone will be here for Saturday night,” Sutcliffe said. “He’s a footballer that people go through the turnstiles for, just to say ‘I was there to see him play’.
“It was the same with Reg Gasnier and Changa Langlands. They have that magic about them, the ability to make something out of nothing.”
Asked about Mitchell, Dragons No.9 Luke insisted the new Souths recruit could enjoy as much success at fullback as Inglis had.
“When GI switched from centre, he slimmed right down and worked hard on those things he hadn’t had to worry about before – like working off the ball,” Luke said.
“And once he got that right, he was unreal.
“GI was able to take those things he learned and add them to his instinctive skills.
“And I think it will be the same with Latrell now. If you’ve got a fit Latrell Mitchell, you’ve got an unreal fullback.”
Souths No.6 Walker agrees.
“Latrell Mitchell is one of the game’s most skilful players,” he said. “And now he’ll be getting his hands on the ball twice as much.
“You saw when he played All Stars last week, his first kick return broke about three or four tackles.
“Then he kicked for a repeat set, made some great defensive plays, he was really good all night.”
Quizzed on the role Mitchell would play for Souths, Walker continued: “Adam Reynolds and I have spoken about how in attack, Latrell won’t be the guy who runs from one side of the field to the other — that just won’t happen.
“So our job is to get him the ball in great positions.
“If he’s on one side of the field, leave him there and we will bring the ball back to him. Those little moments will be key for him.”
Asked about Mitchell on Friday, Bennett said only: “Let’s wait until after the game on Saturday night, when he’s actually done something”.
ROOSTERS STILL MARVEL AT LATRELL’S GRAND FINAL STAR TURN
- Paul Crawley
They will be running out on opposite sides of the globe this weekend. But the eternal admiration the Sydney Roosters have for Latrell Mitchell has been revealed in a stunning grand final tribute from Cooper Cronk.
On the eve of the Roosters’ World Club Challenge in England and Mitchell making his eagerly awaited debut as a full-time fullback for Indigenous All Stars on the Gold Coast, the Roosters brains trust have opened up like never before in a wonderful Fox Sports special that will be aired this weekend.
The half-hour show will feature Cronk along with Trent Robinson, James Tedesco, Boyd Cordner, Luke Keary, Jake Friend and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves going through a blow-by-blow breakdown of the biggest grand final moments, delivering a rare insight into the Roosters’ inner sanctum.
LIVE stream Indigenous All-Stars v Maori Kiwis in the 2020 Harvey Norman NRL All Stars match on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
For the players it was the first time they had actually sat down together to watch the grand final in full, which only made it more special as they relived the magic and madness of one of the great rugby league deciders.
But while every second is just tremendous TV, Cronk’s lavish praise of Mitchell’s stunning flick pass that led to James Tedesco’s match-clinching try created an intriguing twist.
While the dust has now well and truly settled on Mitchell’s controversial switch, what News Corp Australia can reveal is that the program was actually filmed the day after Mitchell had signed with Souths.
At the time there was a lot of simmering tension and because of this Fox Sports’ creative director Charlie Lambert was understandably nervous that the Roosters might be reluctant to go into any detail about Mitchell’s memorable play.
“But instead what we get to see is one of the great fly-on-the-wall moments where Cooper in particular spoke from the heart as he marvelled at Latrell’s skills,” Lambert explained.
FOOTY TIPS! Join Australia’s best footy tipping competition for your chance to win big. Add our experts to your league and join now at TIPS.COM.AU.
From the moment Luke Keary shot off down the short side and delivered the ball to Mitchell who, under pressure and with the game on the line, created one of the great grand final moments.
“We see it every day, Latrell doing that at training,” Cronk explained.
“But for him to do that on the stage in that moment … big games are built on a lot of little moment but that was one hell of a big moment from Latrell.
“To be able to catch, pass, draw in and then do that flick, with the context … I haven’t seen this game in full before but that is an even bigger play having watched the momentum and the build-up.”
And it’s not just Roosters fans who will enjoy this because the program really is one for all rugby league lovers.
From the opening scenes where the Roosters are watching Canberra fans do their Viking Clap, to their take on all the controversy including Cronk’s sin binning and that crucial Ben Cummins call that went against Jack Wighton.
While Raiders fans might not agree, the Roosters make some very valid points that there were tough calls that went both ways.
Lambert said Fox had tried last year to get the Roosters to do this but couldn’t get it across the line.
But this time Robinson gave it his blessings and the end result is a fantastic insight that fans rarely get to see.
“They showed heart for the whole game,” Robinson said as he watched the victory celebrations.
“That was the key to that game.
“It wasn’t perfect, it was imperfect.
“But it was pure character and principles, and they did it until the siren went.”
The show will go to air on Fox League immediately after Saturday night’s All Stars clash and again on Sunday morning following the World Club Challenge against St Helens.