Latrell Mitchell produced another eye-catching performance for South Sydney on Saturday afternoon, but it may not be enough to earn him a recall to the NSW Blues.
Mitchell produced the perfect Origin audition when he scored a try, saved one, and set up three more as the Rabbitohs won 46-12 against the Gold Coast.
With a vacancy in the NSW centres after Joseph Suaalii was handed a four-week ban for wiping out Reece Walsh in Wednesday’s Origin opener, all eyes were on Mitchell.
The Rabbitohs star has not worn the Blues jersey since 2021. According to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, due to the sensitivity of the situation, Mitchell must publicly declare he wants to return to the Blues’ set-up before being considered for selection.
There was confusion about whether he wanted to play Origin this year after Souths’ sluggish start to the season, which included Mitchell serving a three-game ban.
Mitchell recently declared on Instagram he “bleeds blue”, but downplayed talk of an Origin call-up when asked after South Sydney’s win over Parramatta last month.
Latrell Mitchell nailed his Origin audition with a big performance against the Titans.Credit: NRL Photos
Blues officials want to know the 26-year-old is fully committed before giving serious thought to picking him.
Mitchell looked in the mood at Cbus Super Stadium from the opening exchanges, defusing bombs, pushing up in support of Damien Cook to finish a long-range try and setting up four-pointers for Richie Kennar and Cody Walker before half-time.
He produced a crunching tackle on Alofiana Khan-Pereira in the second half, and backed himself with a two-point field-goal attempt in the final minute.
Captain Walker praised Mitchell for being a constant threat against the Titans, especially with his boot and presence as the last line of defence.
“When teams break us or make a line break, they need to get past the big fella,” Walker said. “He’s hard to beat one-on-one. I thought he was outstanding today. His kicking game was unbelievable – he has the biggest boot in our team.”
Interim coach Ben Hornby said of Mitchell’s Origin hopes: “I can’t see why ‘Madge’ [Maguire] wouldn’t want to pick him. But at the end of the day, NSW has a lot of good players. Whoever they pick will get the job doe for them.”
Souths posted rare back-to-back wins to finally move off the bottom of the NRL ladder. Wests Tigers now prop up the table.
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