Latrell Mitchell officially done for 2021

South Sydney has announced the difficult decision that has seen star fullback Latrell Mitchell begin his off-season immediately.

Latrell Mitchell is officially done for 2021.

The Rabbitohs on Sunday morning advised the NRL that the club will not contest the fullback’s match review charges and have accepted a six-match ban.

Mitchell’s sickening shoulder charge on Sydney Roosters centre Joey Manu left Mitchell facing a possible nine-match ban if the club chose to contest the ban and lost at a judiciary hearing.

Mitchell was sin-binned in the 57th minute of the one-sided encounter at Suncorp Stadium and put on report for the dangerous tackle that sent his former teammate to hospital.

The Roosters on Saturday provided an update on Manu’s condition, revealing he suffered multiple cheekbone fractures.

The race to the 2021 NRL Telstra Finals Series is on and every game matters. Watch Live & Ad-Break Free on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free >

Roosters medical officer Dr Tom Longworth told The Daily Telegraph Manu had three metal plates inserted into his face during an operation in Brisbane.

He said the nature of the injury and the force needed to cause the damage inflicted on Manu was something you’d expect to see in car crash, not the football field.

The Kiwi is expected to remain in hospital for another two days.

Mitchell’s suspension was amplified because of his poor match review record. He would have been offered a four-week ban without his prior offences.

It comes after NRL commentators discussed how big the incident is for the Rabbitohs’ premiership hopes.

Penrith Panthers great Greg Alexander elaborated: “That does look bad. That looks like a cheekbone injury. That was awfully swollen. I know his eye puffed up but underneath the eye is swollen as well.”

Latrell is having an early off-season.

On Saturday morning, Mitchell was charged with a grade two reckless tackle on Manu.

Speaking to 2GB’s The Continuous Call Team on Saturday afternoon, NRL Head of Football Graham Annesley confirmed that referee Henry Perenara had been axed from the bunker for the Round 24 clash between the Melbourne Storm and Parramatta Eels.

Annesley also declared that Mitchell should have been sent off following the dangerous tackle.

Latrell Mitchell facing between six and nine weeks out after being charged with a grade two, reckless high tackle. Huge blow for @SSFCRABBITOHS

— Adrian Proszenko (@proshenks) August 28, 2021

BREAKING: Latrell Mitchell Grade 2 reckless
SIX weeks early plea
NINE weeks if he fights it and loses

— BUZZ ROTHFIELD (@BuzzRothfield) August 28, 2021

Mitchell already has a history at the NRL judiciary this year. In April, he was suspended for four weeks on a grade two dangerous contact charge against the Wests Tigers.

Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett was adamant his side could still win the premiership without their star fullback.

“He is a huge player for us. We didn’t have him last year in the play-offs and we are a better team than we were last year,” he told reporters on Friday.

“We are pretty good at getting other players to play well for us and put them in key positions and that is what we are going to have to find if that (suspension) happens.

“We have won a lot of games this year with a lot of players missing. Latrell missed a month of football earlier in the season, and one after the Origin. Our greatest strength this year has been the squad and I will have to rely on the squad to get the job done.

“I am confident there is enough good players to make it happen for us. It just makes it a little bit harder for us.”

Joey Manu suffered a fractured cheekbone. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

In a bad-tempered post-match press conference, Roosters coach Trent Robinson said the performance of the match officials was “laughable”.

“It took Joey to stand up and stick up for himself with a depressed fracture of the cheekbone and they still didn’t want to do anything about it. Henry Perenara in the bunker didn’t stop play. Ashley (Klein) asked them to play on and then the players went at it again. Then they missed it again,” Robinson fumed.

“Perenara is up in the box doesn’t do a thing about it for 30, 40, 50 seconds. It is a common theme this year about the NRL and bunker not looking after our players. The guy is off in hospital and they send him for ten in the bin, ten in the bin. It was laughable. A guy will finish the year for a late shot on the head.”

He said the referees “didn’t know what they were doing”.

– with Nic Savage, Joel Gould, NCA NewsWire

Originally published as Latrell Mitchell officially done for 2021