Suaalii signing could mean Mitchell is on the move again
South Sydney’s bid to keep Joseph Suaalii could have ramifications for Latrell Mitchell’s dream of playing fullback
Latrell Mitchell will return from suspension against St George Illawarra tonight with his future as South Sydney fullback set to come into focus again should the Rabbitohs land the prized signature of Joseph Suaalii.
Suaalii turns 17 on Saturday and the expectation is that he will sign a four-year-deal with the Rabbitohs, rejecting multimillion-dollar overtures from Rugby Australia.
The Rabbitohs mastered the art of succession planning under former head of football Shane Richardson, cognisant of the need to strategically plan to ensure they remained contenders.
Witness the way the club devised a strategy for the departure of Wayne Bennett at the end of next season, when highly touted assistant Jason Demetriou will take over. Their succession planning, however, extended well beyond the coaching hierarchy.
At the heart of their thinking has been a desire to ensure Demetriou will be armed with a team capable of challenging for premierships for years to come.
Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham, who is on the cusp of signing a long-term deal, are players the club can build a team around. So too former NSW under-20s halfback Blake Taaffe, who has been earmarked to replace Cody Walker or Adam Reynolds when they decide to call time on their careers.
It is understood that the plan for the future prominently featured Suaalii, most likely as the club’s long-term No.1.
It may leave Demetriou with a decision to make as he and the club decide whether that plan must be adjusted for Mitchell to remain as fullback.
The alternative is that Mitchell is told that he will be holding the fort until Suaalii is ready to wear the No 1 jersey, at which point he will revert to the centres.
Mitchell will then be left with a decision of his own and he may have to make it as early as November, when rival clubs can negotiate with him over 2022.
He can stay and face the prospect of returning to the centres, where his price tag will be diminished. He can stay and back himself to keep the No.1 jersey, and reap the rewards that come with playing in the spine. Or he can explore his options and find a club where he is guaranteed to play at fullback.
Mitchell seems happy at South Sydney. He is becoming more accustomed to playing fullback and was making a good fist of the role before he was suspended for his brain snap against the Wests Tigers.
In Suaalii, however, the Rabbitohs have a player who even the most conservative judges believe will be a superstar. The sort of player who needs to be in a team’s spine, where he can get his hands on the ball and dictate the outcome of games.
He may get the chance to do so as early as next year, provided he inks a deal with Souths and the club is given a favourable hearing by the ARL Commission when it comes to lowering the age limit for the NRL.
“I’m in favour of either way, case-by-case,” Bennett said.
“The players mature a lot earlier these days. They physically don’t mature earlier but certainly mentally they do, because of all that’s happening around them.
“Seventeen or 18, there’s not much difference. He’ll turn 18 in that year (2021) as well. Trying to go in line with what they do in junior football, that was the idea behind it.”
Bennett believes he is the ideal person to guide Suaalii through the formative stages of his career. He has been at the wheel when a host of teenagers have been blooded in the NRL.
He has also seemingly struck up a tight relationship with Mitchell. Perhaps Mitchell will follow Bennett when the seven-time premiership winner leaves Souths at the end of next season.
By then, Suaalii may have the No.1 jersey in his possession.
“If he comes to this club, there’s no one more experienced than I am of bringing young players into the NRL,” he said.
“I’ve brought that many young players through from my 33 years in coaching, and they need good people around them.
“They need good clubs to come into and I think South Sydney provides all that.”
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