Latrell Mitchell restaurant stoush proves Rabbitohs have a pulse

Latrell Mitchell’s restaurant confrontation with NRL 360 host Braith Anasta should be seen as a great sign of hope for the Rabbitohs.

Dane Eldridge

3 min read

May 23, 2024 - 11:51AM

The restaurant stoush proves the Rabbitohs have a pulse.

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Latrell Mitchell’s public confrontation with Braith Anasta was the last thing Souths needed in their ultra-gross 2024.

But make no mistake, this moment will be ultimately remembered as the most significant dining event in rugby league since the power lunches of the Super League War or that time Payne Haas punched Albert Kelly outside a bistro for scuffing his shoes.

Why?

Because the passion shown by Mitchell on that fateful night at Chin Chin Restaurant provided this powerful reminder:

Underneath the club’s sloppy performances and interminable leaks, the South Sydney Rabbitohs still have a pulse.

And at its most avid, it’s a pulse as bold and spicy as the Asian fusion menu that catered the night’s bout.

Mitchell may be enduring a woeful 2024 - and he’s not the only Rabbitoh - but his chilli-infused blast for Anasta was an encouraging glimpse in to his mindset.

It shows the big fella still cares about his club and his teammates, so much that he’ll launch an emotional defence even if it risks further headlines and his dumplings going cold.

Latrell Mitchell has had a tough year with the Rabbitohs. Picture: NRL Photos

Yeah sure, we’d rather see him fire up on a kick-return instead of a retired footballer on the Asahi’s.

But after recent questions about his commitment, at least it’s a timely reminder that the bloke still has a burning spirit for his club and the game.

And with the return of supercoach Wayne Bennett now confirmed - the mentor under which Mitchell played his finest footy for Souths - it’s an awakening that has come at just the right time.

Because, as we know, if there’s one man who can invigorate passion, it’s the bloke who’s made a living out of restoring mojos despite being so inert that he may die in the coaches box one day and we won’t be able to tell.

Dining in a venue described as “a riotous collision of casual South-East Asian cuisine, contemporary art and local culture”, it wasn’t just the food and art that almost riotously collided that night at Chin Chin.

Latrell Mitchell confronted Braith Anasta at a Sydney restaurant. Pic: Fox League

Both in attendance purely by chance, Mitchell approached Anasta to voice his displeasure at the TV host’s perceived unfair criticism of his own form, his team and his conflicted position on the Lachlan Ilias issue.

While it was never physical, both men stood their ground and didn’t upload anything incriminating, which was a win in itself.

Speaking on Triple M’s Sunday Sin Bin, Gorden Tallis agreed.

“Firstly I like it.

“If you’re hurt by what people are saying, he didn’t start bitching, he went up and confronted him, and Braith stood his ground,” Tallis said.

If Bennett can exploit this stone in Mitchell’s shoe, the fullback could be the internal combustion that fires the era of Wayne 2.0 and the catalyst to awaken Souths’ proud culture from its hibernation.

Latrell Mitchell is sure to fire under coach Wayne Bennett. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Bennett is a no-frills coach who understands the importance of leaders who will take up the fight for the club, whether internally, externally and in these cases, gastronomically.

After all, did anyone see Clint Gutherson defending Brad Arthur in a Westfield Sushi Train?

No, and look where that’s left them.

As such, let it be cast in stone;

The Rabbitohs renaissance did not begin with the signature of Bennett, but with side-eye in Sydney’s eclectic Surry Hills precinct.

It shows Souths have the ingredients within to rebuild their panel-beaten pride, and all it requires is a fresh voice and a solid pre-season of fitness and staking out eateries for naysayers.

- Dane Eldridge is a warped cynic yearning for the glory days of rugby league, a time when the sponges were magic and the Mondays were mad. He’s never strapped on a boot in his life, and as such, should be taken with a grain of salt.