NRL 2022: South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell ‘raring to go’ but coach Jason Demetriou has Covid

South Sydney sent superstar Latrell Mitchell to the bush this week, but he was back on Thursday as the club was hit with some unfortunate news.

Rabbitohs head coach Jason Demetriou has Covid. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Latrell Mitchell was back on deck at South Sydney training on Thursday, but coach Jason Demetriou was nowhere near Redfern Oval after he tested positive to Covid-19 ahead of the heavyweight clash with the Roosters on Friday night.

Demetriou tested positive on Tuesday night and joins hooker Damien Cook on the sidelines after he was forced to miss last week’s game against the Cowboys due to the virus.

Cook hasn’t been named this week, while Demetriou’s absence means assistant Ben Hornby will take the reins with a home final on the line.

“I was shocked. It obviously wasn’t expected. The timing isn’t great, but we move on,” Hornby said.

“I’m excited. It’s not every day you get an opportunity to coach a first grade side. The boys are ready and we’ve got a senior group, so it’s going to be no problem for us.”

Latrell Mitchell is at training and just scored so he’s good to go for tomorrow’s game. Not sure tries at captain’s run count for Supercoach pic.twitter.com/D4cg33A8uf

— Martin Gabor (@MartinJGabor) September 1, 2022

Hornby said he didn’t think the build-up would cause too much of a disruption and Demetriou’s message was “just do what we normally do”.

That has been made a lot easier with Mitchell confirmed to take on the Roosters.

The star fullback was given a few days off to recharge the batteries, but he was back for the captain’s run on Thursday after missing Tuesday’s session.

“He’s raring to go,” Hornby said.

Rabbitohs Head Coach Jason Demetriou has tested positive for COVID-19. Rest up mate! 🐇❤️💚

Read more https://t.co/h4GxJ16iPOpic.twitter.com/sd3StAOOGn

— South Sydney Rabbitohs 🐰 (@SSFCRABBITOHS) August 31, 2022

“If you look at him coming back from America and the emotional toll that took on him, him coming back and smiling is great for our team.

“Having him back is a big plus for us.

“He’s in the best shape of his life. He’s in the best headspace as well, so he’s raring to go. He’s looking forward to the end of the year because the last couple of years he hasn’t played in the finals.”

Being away from the Sydney spotlight for a couple of days means Mitchell hasn’t been exposed to all the traditional drama leading into the derby.

He’s also escaped any chat about taking on his former side and a showdown with Joseph Manu after the high shot and ensuing melee ended both players’ 2021 season earlier than they would have liked.

“Anyone who has seen Latrell play knows how much he loves confrontation,” Hornby said.

“It’s a physical game and he’ll be playing it that way, and I’m sure he’s looking forward to it as much as Joey will.”

Originally published as NRL 2022: South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell ‘raring to go’ but coach Jason Demetriou has Covid