Latrell Mitchell will make his NRL return as a changed man after long suspension

During Latrell Mitchell’s three-week ban his coach was sacked, and the new man in charge has seen a spark in the superstar ahead of his return.

Latrell Mitchell is a changed man. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Caretaker South Sydney coach Ben Hornby says he’s seen a “real change” in Latrell Mitchell during his suspension, but the Rabbitohs can’t rely on the superstar fullback to turn the team’s fortunes around on his return.

Mitchell will take his place against St George Illawarra on Saturday having served a three-match ban for elbowing Warriors veteran Shaun Johnson, an act that prompted heavy criticism of the 26-year-old’s attitude with his team already battling.

His comeback will be under a new coach, with Jason Demetriou axed during his absence and replacement Hornby making line-up changes that haven’t helped lift Souths off the bottom of the NRL table.

Hornby said it was “great” to have Mitchell back and was adamant he would be more like the “best Latrell” and not the frustrated star he was before his lengthy ban.

“He’s learned from that, he’s dealt with it. He’s come back, he’s refreshed. We’re looking forward to seeing him have a big impact on the game,” Hornby said.

“The last couple of weeks, I’ve seen a real change in him.

“He’s been doing a really good job at training the last couple of weeks, preparing the boys as best he can as well.

“He’s really engaged at the moment and I’m sure you’ll see the best Latrell we’ve seen for a little while.

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“Latrell is a big player obviously, big part of our team and you’ve seen when he plays we tend to do a lot better.”

Last season, after Mitchell was forced into a lengthy absence due to a calf injury, the Rabbits fell into a form slump.

But his return wasn’t a magic bullet then, as Souths only won two of four games after he returned, finishing the season in ninth spot, and Hornby said that despite how good Mitchell could be, a whole-team turnaround was needed.

“We can’t be relying on ‘Trell’ to win us this game,” Hornby said.

“We’ve all got to be better, that’s the reality. Latrell’s no different there, he knows he needs to be better but as a collective we need to be better. That’s what we’re working on.”

The South Sydney cause, in Cody Walker’s 200th NRL game, hasn’t been helped by an injury list in the double digits.

“We’re happy with the squad we’ve got. (Bringing more players) is a possibility, but at this stage we should get some blokes back next week,” he said.

“We’ll just see how the weekend ends up,” he said.