- NRL guru confident he can get the best out of Latrell Mitchell
- Mitchell, 27, had a terrible season in 2024, playing just 11 NRL games
New Rabbitohs manager Wayne Bennett has declared Latrell Mitchell will be “our fullback” in 2025, with his mentor saying only an “idiot” would try to change the way the scandal-plagued star plays.
Bennett officially starts at Souths on November 1, but preparations for his return are already well underway.
Mitchell, 27, will need to perform in 2025 after a nightmare season in which he played just 11 games due to injuries and suspensions.
South Sydney were considered by many pundits to be title favourites in the off-season, but finished a disappointing second-to-last. Coach Jason Demetriou was sacked in April after 12 months of poor results.
Bennett, 74, has returned to the club after ending his commitment to the Dolphins knowing he has a squad capable of competing for the Premier League.
The much-criticised Mitchell will be a key figure and the supercoach expects his No.1 to consistently showcase his talent.
But don’t expect any wholesale changes from the native role model.
“I’m not an idiot,” Bennett said News Corp. “I’m not going to change Latrell. I’m just going to let him play, that’s what he does best.
New Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has revealed Latrell Mitchell (pictured together) will be ‘our fullback’ in 2025 as the masterful mentor looks to get the scandal-plagued NRL superstar’s career back on track
Mitchell, 27, will need to perform in 2025 after a nightmare season in which he played just 11 games due to injury and suspension – and was fined and banned after being photographed with a mysterious white substance (pictured)
Bennett, 74, has returned to the club after ending his commitment to the Dolphins – and knows he has a squad that can challenge for a championship
Souths will be praying that Mitchell’s (pictured) reunion with his mentor will get him back on top form – and keep him out of trouble
‘He will start preparing for the season together with everyone… Latrell will be our fullback.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Latrell and all the boys again.”
Mitchell won’t look back on 2024 with much fondness, either on or off the field.
At times, he has courted controversy, receiving a three-game ban after elbowing Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson in the final minutes. He was then embroiled in a spat with Anthony Mundine that dragged on for weeks following the Spencer Leniu-Ezra Mam racism saga.
Add to that his abusive post-match interview with Triple M, his public spat with NRL 360 presenter Braith Anasta at a Sydney restaurant and his now infamous white powder photo taken in a Dubbo hotel room last month, and it’s understandable that club officials want to see drastic changes.
Mitchell will also miss South Sydney’s first league game in 2025 after being handed a one-match suspension by the NRL over the white powder affair.
Ny Breaking Australia is not claiming it was an illegal drug.
Bennett has also thrown a lifeline to former Sea Eagles talent Josh Schuster and confirmed that Cody Walker will return to his favoured position at five-eighth.
