Latrell Mitchell moving from fullback? I’ve never heard more rubbish

The noise coming out of South Sydney has been deafening for two or three weeks and talk of Latrell Mitchell moving from fullback is the biggest load of rubbish I’ve heard.

There’s been speculation Jack Wighton will get the No.1 jersey; even Campbell Graham’s name has been floated. It’s ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

The team is there. They don’t need to make wholesale changes, they just need to make alterations where it matters most: between the ears. If they can adjust their attitude and a few things around training, the Rabbitohs can be a force again.

Mitchell needs to stay at fullback. And if I were him, I’d be looking up the highway for an example of how quickly things can change.

A few months ago, Kalyn Ponga’s career was at a crossroads. But he made an extremely unselfish decision to stand down from the State of Origin series and concentrate on the Knights. He said to his teammates, “Follow me, boys”. And now he’s the one who sets the standards at that club, and they’re the in-form team heading into the finals.

I think Mitchell could do worse than look at the transformation of Ponga and the Knights to know what’s possible with a shift in mindset.

Latrell Mitchell missed the Rabbitohs’ last game of the season through suspension.Credit: NRL Photos

South Sydney have a huge off-season approaching. When you lose nine of your last 13 matches, something is not right. But every team goes through these issues now and again.

At the Knights, we missed the finals in 1996. I put my hand up and knew I needed to change some things, and we went on to win the competition the next year. It’s not impossible for the Rabbitohs to do the same.

Storm’s Cam-do attitude

Friday night, Suncorp Stadium, a big pressure-packed finals game, huge crowd ... this just reeks of a Cameron Munster masterclass.

Just the thought of Munster at Suncorp terrifies me. I’m not afraid to admit I’ve lost my fair share of sleep through the years thinking about scenarios like this. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t have a huge game for the Storm against the Broncos to kick off the finals.

Cameron Munster will spearhead the Storm’s finals charge.Credit: Getty

One thing I have been surprised about is Craig Bellamy leaving Ryan Papenhuyzen on the bench against Brisbane. I’d have him straight back in the starting side. Nick Meaney has done a wonderful job for Melbourne this year, but Papenhuyzen would be my choice as a starter with Meaney in the No.14 role.

Regardless, Craig Bellamy has that Bart Cummings-like touch when it comes to preparing the Storm for the finals – and their record against Brisbane is undeniable.

What makes them a bogey team? Is it their style of play? Mental games? Whatever it is, it’s intriguing to watch how this Storm and Broncos rivalry unfolds with Melbourne winning the past 14 clashes.

Every week I look at it and wonder if Melbourne can trouble the top two. My answer is a big, fat yes. I think they’ve got the best spine in the competition if Papenhuyzen is at fullback and Jarome Luai is injured for Penrith.

They’re not going to be able to stop all the Reece Walsh brilliance, but they’ll be able to stop some of it.

The result for me will hinge on who wins the battle in the engine room between Payne Haas and Tom Flegler up against Christian Welch and Tui Kamikamica with Nelson Asofa-Solomona climbing off the bench to help.

Brisbane have improved out of sight this year and I love watching their attack; it can be dangerous from anywhere. But I reckon Munster will ensure the streak continues.

Joey’s tip: Storm by 2
First try-scorer: Selwyn Cobbo
Man of the match: Cameron Munster

Daylight robbery

I just can’t see any way the Warriors beat the Panthers on Saturday.

It’s a rare day game at BlueBet Stadium for Penrith. If you speak to most NRL stars they’ll tell you how much they love playing during the day. I reckon it just makes the Panthers’ attack even more formidable with faster ball movement in drier conditions.

The Panthers will be even more formidable in a rare day game, but they will be without Jerome Luai (left).Credit: Getty

But if I was Warriors coach Andrew Webster, I’d be trying everything to take Penrith out of their comfort zone.

I’d be kicking the ball into touch as often as possible – even when you’re in their half – popping a few offloads when time allows; anything to disrupt the flow of the game. The longer the game goes back and forth the better the Panthers will be.

It’s a fine line between risk and reward, but teams might only have one way to beat the Panthers.

Long, hard road ahead for Knights

There’s a good reason no team has won the competition from outside the top four in the NRL era: because it’s so damn hard.

I’ve got everything crossed for the Knights to make a deep run in the finals, and they look best placed of the bottom four to give it a shake, but this is what their potential path looks like if they keep winning: Raiders at home this week; probably the Warriors in New Zealand the following week; then either on the road to Brisbane or Melbourne for a preliminary final before a likely grand final opponent in Penrith.

There’s still questions about Ponga’s shoulder as well. But for Knights fans, it’s been one hell of a ride so far, and they’ve got a chance to change history.

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 live and free on 9Now.

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.