‘Let’s be clear’: Souths coach sets record straight over ‘rocket’ that sparked Latrell’s ‘10/10’ form

Souths coach Jason Demetriou has set the record straight on his critical comments that triggered Latrell Mitchell “beast mode” form.

Latrell Mitchell of the Rabbitohs is tackled during the round eight NRL match between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Penrith Panthers at Accor Stadium on April 20, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou agreed Latrell Mitchell was in “beast mode” in the win over Penrith but moved to clarify his public comments that may have sparked the superstar’s stunning run of form.

Mitchell was monstrous in the Rabbitohs’ come-from-behind 20-18 win on Thursday night, with league great Nathan Hindmarsh believing it was a reaction to Demetriou’s challenge made several weeks ago to become more involved.

“A few weeks ago he got a bit of a rocket didn’t he,” Hindmarsh said on The Late Show post-match.

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“Not about how he’s playing but more about his involvement and wanting him to be more involved in the game.

“Ever since then, it’s been a couple of weeks since that happened, he’s been 10/10 .. and I think there’s still more in him, I honestly think there’s still more in him.” 

Jason Demetriou speaks in the press conference

Demetriou was asked about publically challenging Mitchell in the post-match conference but made an effort to clarify he was not criticising his form.

“I didn’t challenge him,” the coach said.

“Let’s be clear, I spoke to him about getting his hands on the ball a bit earlier. As a fullback or a winger sometimes you need to get in the game a bit earlier otherwise the game can drift away from you a little bit.

“So we had a bit of a chat about that but his involvements outside of that had been good.

“But yeah, when he gets in the game early he sends a message, firstly, to himself but most importantly to his teammates.”

Demetriou was at pains to stress while Mitchell would “get lot of accolades”it was a team effort that secured one of the club’s biggest regular season wins in recent memory.

“One individual doesn’t beat Penrith, it takes a lot of hard work,” he said.

Latrell Mitchell throws an insane pass. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Latrell stuns with ‘statement’ play

It was only three weeks ago that Demetriou urged Latrell Mitchell to get more involved earlier in games — and superstar fullback did exactly that in the first half of Thursday’s clash with the Panthers.

South Sydney scored first points when Damien Cook burrowed over from dummy-half in the 19th minute. But it came off the back of an incredible flick pass from Mitchell to speedy winger Alex Johnston.

Expert analyst Michael Ennis called it “stunning,” while Fox League commentator Andrew Voss declared it “is one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

The Bunnies marched their way down the field with the help of a set restart and a fired-up Cook planted the ball down under the posts.

“He is reaping the rewards of this superstar fullback who just changed the game on a dime, just completely changed the whole concept of the game,” Ennis said.

“As the Panthers were grafting and grinding and starting to get over the top of South Sydney, it was the (Zac) Hosking error and in the blink of an eye it was Latrell Mitchell that turned this game on its head with a miraculous flick pass.”

It was one of Mitchell’s busiest first halves this season with the 25-year-old taking nine runs for 44 metres and getting five tackle busts as well as three offloads.

“We spoke about Latrell’s involvement, we wanted to see him do something early and make a statement — and he did that,” Fox League’s Greg Alexander said.

Originally published as ‘Let’s be clear’: Souths coach sets record straight over ‘rocket’ that sparked Latrell’s ‘10/10’ form