Latrell Mitchell officially signs with South Sydney

Latrell Mitchell has finally sorted out his playing future, but has also opened up about the toll the long drawn out saga has taken on his family.

After a months of posturing, Latrell Mitchell is officially a Rabbitoh.

Drawn out speculation including several suitors who were close but just missed out is finally over as the former Roosters star has finally inked a one-year deal with South Sydney today, confirming his arrival at Redfern for season 2020.

The club has an option in its favour to keep Mitchell for a second year into 2021.

There are reports Mitchell has been told he will play fullback for the Bunnies this season and Mitchell said he was excited about the potential of playing fullback.

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He said he’d played fullack all throughout his juniors but would be discussing it further with coach Wayne Bennett in the coming days and weeks.

But, despite being coy, he’s keen to stake a claim.

“Look, go back 24 months ago, when I started in centre, I’d never played centre before,” he said. “I’ve never played centre in my life and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Bennett also said Mitchell would likely “make the position his own” particularly because it’s his preferred position.

It ends the ongoing saga that has dominated the off-season with the superstar seemingly a free agent for months now with some reported offers appearing too good to pass up for the 22-year-old.

One such contract was a reported $4m four year deal at the Wests Tigers with the club eventually withdrawing the deal after inaction, but leaving the door ajar for it to be taken up.

Asked about why he ended up at the Rabbitohs rather than entertaining the big money offers reported throughout the off-season, Mitchell said it was all about the fit.

“I just wanted to hold off and explore everything before I came to a decision,” Mitchell said.

“I knew if I would’ve jumped straight into that Tigers deal I probably would’ve regretted it.

“And I understand where the money was at, but it’s’s not all about the money everyone made it out to be.

“There’s goals in my life that I want to set that money brings, but then again you’ve got to set that up.

“For the next 12 months I’m here I just want to keep striving for that and play some good footy.”

Latrell signs on the dotted line.

Souths general manager of football Shane Richardson is confident he will fit in at his new home.

“He has the ability to be one of the best players in the world and from our discussions with him he understands that it’s going to take a lot of hard work and effort for him to be at his best consistently and to reach his full potential,” Richardson said.

“He will get that opportunity at the Rabbitohs, working with some wonderful mentors here in Wayne (Bennett), Jason (Demetriou), Ben (Hornby), Greg (Inglis), John (Sutton) and Sam (Burgess), and we’re really looking forward to seeing Latrell at his peak wearing the famous cardinal and myrtle jersey that so many greats of the game have worn before him.

“He is a very proud indigenous man, a young leader in the indigenous community and we know that he will be of great support to Souths Cares and its programs in the indigenous community.”

Richardson also said “it took a long time coming” with the contract finally signed with Mitchell making the move to Redfern.

Latrell’s father Matt also said he was pleased by the outcome as a big Rabbitohs fan and former player.

It was just weeks ago that Bennett said that he didn’t need any more centres.

“We won’t be signing Latrell,” Bennett exclusively told The Courier Mail in late December. “We have enough centres. I am happy with Braidon Burns and James Roberts.”

Bennett said it was “pie in the sky stuff” when he made those comments.

“When I came to South Sydney, everyone asked me ‘are you going to get Latrell here’ and I never thought it would happen,” he said. “We never pursued it. Again, if Sam hadn’t retired because of injury, it wouldn’t have happened. But in the interim of that, we weren’t talking to him and he was looking at other clubs but he obviously didn’t feel comfortable making those decision. He hung on long enough, we hung out long enough and all of a sudden we came together.”

Mitchell said thanked the Roosters for their support over the years but said he felt like moving to the Rabbitohs was the “best decision I’ve made in my career so far”.

“I want to thank the Sydney Roosters for everything they’ve done for me,” he said. “I’m very grateful for them giving me my start in the NRL and I guess I just needed to see when I could take myself in the footy aspect and I thought that would be here under Wayne.

“The family side of it, the way Cody (Walker) and Jimmy (Roberts), just the way they talk about the club and Wayne and being under. The way they treat their families is the biggest thing I looked at.”

Latrell Mitchell has achieved everything in rugby league and is looking for the love.

While it’s been months in the making, Mitchell joked that “he was on holidays” but quickly turned serious to say he didn’t want to regret his decision.

“I’ve dealt with it pretty well for my age, going through the stage when everyone was just speculating, that’s all it was I guess,” he said. “Just for my family I think it’s hit the harder than most. My mum was always in tears with the stories that were coming out and I guess that’s where it hit home because my mum is my best friend and for her to be upset about everything that’s going on about me and my career, that was one of the hardest part about all this stuff.”

Bennett said it was as big as when Souths brought Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis with the ability and potential Mitchell still has.

Bennett also said “the one thing you can’t throw at him is that he came for the money because he didn’t do that, he came for the things he was talking about here, for love and family”.

Mitchell was also compared to Inglis but said while they’re similar players

“Everyone thinks I was chasing the money which it wasn’t, I just wanted to chase another opportunity where I could take my footy and this was the best decision I made,” Mitchell said. “I just want to chase something else now, I’ve won two premierships, I’m played State of Origin, played Australia, I just want to find the love for footy again.”