Latrell Mitchell’s legendary early morning act after NSW Origin win

His return helped spark the best Blues’ performance in years, but Latrell Mitchell was spotted making an early escape from the NSW camp.

Latrell Mitchell. Picture: Tim Hunter.

No one could ever accuse Latrell Mitchell of forgetting about where it all began.

The day after his return helped NSW flip the Origin series on its head, the Blues centre was paying it back to more than 100 thrilled kids at a junior footy clinic in Taree.

Mitchell made an early dash from the Blues camp in Melbourne to catch a 6.40am flight so he could be on hand to meet a host of youngsters taking their first steps in the game on the ground he did.

But it was a two-way exchange. “I love coming back,” Mitchell told Channel 9. “It’s good to get away, get a break – and to come to this just fills my cup up again.”

Latrell Mitchell is the king of the kids.

Latrell Mitchell attends a footy clinic the day after Origin.

The locals loved it. “Shout out to Latrell Mitchell,” the Myall River Hawks Junior Rugby League Club posted on Facebook. “Played Origin last night, flew into Taree this morning for a footy clinic with 100+ kids.”

“This is the pinnacle of rugby league, this guy deserves everyone’s respect,” wrote Ryan Saunders. “Could have easily rested today like the rest but nope instead flew in early to make sure he’s here for the kids.”

“A big shout out to this amazing footballer,” wrote Terry Green.

“Playing in front of 90,000 people, jumps on a plane back to Sydney, then on a plane to Taree to meet up with all the junior league kids this morning… in my eyes he is a true champion.”

NSW coach Michael Maguire also gave Mitchell a shout out.

“There’s a lot of good things that he does (that) you don’t see,” Maguire told Channel 9. “Everyone gets scrutinised in a certain way but little things like that are going on in our game all the time – and he’s a big part of that.”

After three years in the wilderness, Mitchell’s return to the State of Origin arena couldn’t have gone much better.

Inserted into the centres in place of the suspended Joseph Suaallii, Mitchell was the perfect cog in NSW’s system as the Blues defeated Queensland 38-18 to level the series 1-1.

The Blues scored six tries to none in the highest scoring first half in Origin history in an emphatic response to force a decider in Brisbane in three weeks.