Latrell Mitchell ‘closest thing to Inglis I have seen’: Wayne Bennett

Wayne Bennett has come out swinging at critics of Latrell Mitchell and insists he will not bow to pressure to axe him as fullback

“He is a footballer – just trust me that he is fullback.” Souths coach Wayne Bennett on Latrell Mitchell. Picture: AAP

Wayne Bennett has come out swinging at critics of Latrell Mitchell and insists he will not bow to public pressure to axe him as fullback ahead of Friday’s derby blockbuster with the Roosters.

All eyes will be on Mitchell at Bankwest Stadium, where the under-fire NSW Origin ace comes face-to-face with his former Roosters teammates for the first time since his dramatic departure from Bondi in January.

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Since his arrival at Redfern, Mitchell has started the season at fullback with two poor performances before becoming embroiled in an off-field social-distancing scandal with Josh Addo-Carr during the COVID-19 crisis.

Bennett has come under sustained pressure to shift Mitchell to the centre position in which he won two titles at the Roosters, but the super coach is backing the 22-year-old to have a Greg Inglis-like dominance at fullback.

“The suggestion I won’t move Latrell because of media criticism is rubbish,” the Rabbitohs coach said. “Look, if I thought Latrell was best for the team in the centres, I’d put him there, OK. But I don’t think that.

“I’m not being dogmatic. I’ve been a coach for 40 years, I just do what is right for the team and I believe Latrell is best for the team at fullback.”

Mitchell failed to finish his first two games for the Rabbitohs at fullback.

The Australian centre made just four runs for 48 metres in the season opener against Cronulla before being muzzled again a week later against the Broncos, who held Mitchell to six runs and 60m in their 22-18 victory at Suncorp Stadium.

Despite queries over Mitchell’s physical condition and aerobic capacity to handle the demands of fullback play, Bennett says he will fire in the No 1 jumper — starting against the Roosters.

“Latrell is the closest thing to Greg Inglis that I have ever seen,” Bennett said.

“He is a footballer — just trust me that he is fullback.

“He just needs to get out and play and play with a team of guys he is comfortable with. He will nail it. He will be fine at fullback.

“Latrell had a wonderful fullback in front of him at the Roosters, that’s why they played him in the centres. But James Tedesco is not here and I think he can get the job done for us at fullback.

“I know he can. I watch him train every day and I know the guy I’m dealing with.”

Asked why he is so convinced Mitchell is a fullback, Bennett said: “Because he is highly skilled, he is a tremendous runner in open field and when the field opens for him, he is not sitting on the left side or the right side waiting for the ball to be passed to him.

“He can get the ball in his hands when he wants it straight away and roam the ground and run off other people’s passes. It’s very hard to mark up on him.

“Latrell has the ability to be running 200m a game just like Greg Inglis did. He has the physicality to do it, he is 106kg. He is a different fullback to Billy Slater and Darren Lockyer, he is a big man and he is extremely mobile at that size, so if you are going to put (a hit) on him, you will get a hit put on you as well.”

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