There is no doubt that when he is in form and on his game, Latrell Mitchell is one of only a handful of players who can win a game single handedly, and who you can do nothing to stop.
However, at just the age of 26, Latrell now finds himself in a strange situation…
He is the highest paid player on a team that was once a premiership threat, but who now finds themselves down at the bottom of the NRL ladder. This season is effectively over for the club already, and it isn’t even May yet.
He has been on the sidelines with suspension a number of times over the last few years, and between that and the injuries he has suffered, he hasn’t really been able to have one good solid season since joining the Rabbitohs.
On top of that, during his current stint on the sidelines, the Rabbitohs have brought in young fullback Jye Gray, who has provided so much spark for the club and has looked really good. So much so that there’s a feeling the Rabbitohs should stick with him at fullback and move Latrell into the centres.
We have also had Mitchell suggest that he would look to withdraw himself from State Of Origin selection this season as he focuses on the Rabbitohs.
This is one of the premier players in the game, a player who would just be entering his prime.
It makes you wonder whether Mitchell needs a change of scenery. A positional move from fullback, could be what he needs. It just isn’t a happy time for Mitchells football career right now, and that is rotten to see, because when everything is going right he is a great player to watch play the game.
We have seen player in the past who needed a change of scenery just to get things back on track and find some happiness in their football. Two notable players that stand out for me in this regard were Greg Alexander, who left Penrith for a stint at the Auckland Warriors, and Mark Geyer, who ended up playing for the Western Reds.
Both eventually returned to the Penrith Panthers, but they have openly talked about how they just needed something fresh to help their careers and even their personal lives.
Sometimes a change is as good as a holiday, and you have to wonder how Mitchell would respond to maybe playing for the North Queensland Cowboys or the Melbourne Storm, getting away from the spotlight players are constantly under in Sydney and just being able to focus on football while having a but of a lifestyle change.
The biggest impediment to a move like this would of course be the amount of salary cap money a team would need to free up to take Mitchell on, as well as the Rabbitohs obvious reluctance to let their star player walk while he is under contract. There is also no indication Mitchell wants to leave the Rabbitohs, or Sydney in general. You just have to wonder if the break would do him good.
