NRL 2024: Latrell Mitchell will face South Sydney board in a fight to save his multimillion dollar contract

Star fullback Latrell Mitchell will face a furious Rabbitohs board in a bid to save his multimillion dollar contract with the club.

Latrell Mitchell is locked in a fight to save his career at South Sydney as he prepares to front the club’s board and argue why his multimillion-dollar contract should not be terminated.

News Corp understands that key figures at the Rabbitohs have had their patience sorely tested by Mitchell, who received a breach notice this week after images were circulated of him in a room with a white substance.

Mitchell is already facing a fine and suspension from the NRL over the incident, which took place while he was in Dubbo for a women’s football clinic.

He was interviewed by the NRL integrity unit, but he also faces a grilling from the club’s high-powered board, some of whom were believed to be at the end of their tether after a series of incidents during his time at the club.

This year alone, senior figures at the club were known to be disappointed with his expletive-ladened interview on Triple M and then his suspension for an elbow on Warriors star Shaun Johnson.

There was also frustration, albeit to a lesser extent, with Mitchell’s public feud with Sydney Roosters prop Spencer Leniu over his racial attack on Brisbane five-eighth Ezra Mam in Las Vegas.

While the club was supportive of Mitchell’s stance and has always backed his right to stand up for what he believes in, the issue dragged on for weeks and led to a public war of words with Anthony Mundine.

The point is that some at the club are understood to be questioning whether the drama is worth it given the jury is out on whether the Rabbitohs have received value for money for Mitchell.

He has only played 11 games this season and the most he has played in any season at the club is 17 matches as injury and suspension cost him time on the sidelines.

Injury has once again intervened this season and Mitchell is every chance to miss the start of next year as he stares down a ban from the NRL and potentially further sanctions from Souths.

Latrell Mitchell has had a tumultuous season off the field. Picture: NRL Photos

Mitchell re-signed with Souths at the end of 2022 on a deal until the end of 2027, believed to be worth in excess of $1 million a season.

At his best, he is a matchwinner capable of dominating games on his own.

But for all the good he does for the game – and there is plenty of it, particularly in the Indigenous space – Mitchell has in recent times been a magnet for criticism.

South Sydney had stood by him and given him their support, but they have every right to ask now whether that is being reciprocated given the images that emerged earlier this week, which showed Mitchell leaning over white substance in a hotel room.

While there is no suggestion Mitchell was doing anything illegal, the images were not a good reflection on the game or Souths.

Hence, the sanctions that have been handed down by the NRL and the concerns in the upper echelons of Souths, where the club’s ownership model features heavy hitters including Russell Crowe, James Packer and Mick Cannon-Brookes.

Perhaps the most significant thing Mitchell has in his favour is the imminent arrival of seven-time premiership winner Wayne Bennett, who has been one of his greatest supporters and historically extracted the best from the Souths star.

Even Bennett may not be enough to save Mitchell if the club feels it is time to move in another direction.

HORNBY AND BENNETT WEIGH IN ON MITCHELL

South Sydney caretaker coach Ben Hornby has confirmed troubled star Latrell Mitchell won’t return to the field this season and is doing “OK” as he prepares to front the club board.

As incoming coach Wayne Bennett threw his support behind the star fullback, Hornby said Mitchell remained away from the club as he continued to deal with the fallout from a leaked picture that showed him leaning over a table with a white powder on it in a Dubbo hotel room.

Dolphins coach Bennett, who will rejoin the Bunnies in 2025, was in charge when Mitchell joined Souths and said he was yet to speak to the 27-year-old who would be “upset with himself” but left the matter up to South Sydney to sort through.

“He’s in good hands at South Sydney,” Bennett said on Friday.

“He’s a good person, I’ve got a lot of time for Latrell, but South Sydney will handle the matter and get it right.

“Worried is not the word I’d use. He’d be upset with himself. He’s got to get it sorted out and move forward.

“He’s football player, and it’s what he does on the field he should be remembered for, not what he does off the field, that shouldn’t be the headline.

“He’s a great player and I’m sure he’ll get it right.”

The picture that allegedly shows NRL star Latrell Mitchell with a white substance. Picture: Supplied

Hornby said he had been in text conversations with Mitchell who was “doing OK” ahead of a meeting with the board where his $1m-a-season contract is set to be discussed.

The fill-in coach said revelations of Mitchell’s behaviour and potential penalty from the NRL would be “disappointing” for South Sydney fans but was reticent to comment on what the future could hold.

“I’ve only been in text conversation with him, but he’s OK,” Hornby said on Friday.

“I think for the fans it’s disappointing, but for us, we’ve got to worry about what we can control.

“He’s missed two weeks of training because he was sick last week, so he won’t get back this year.”

Originally published as NRL 2024: Latrell Mitchell will face South Sydney board in a fight to save his multimillion dollar contract