Has Latrell Mitchell finally woken up to himself? The jury is still out on that one, and history suggests it might be prudent for them to take time over their deliberations.
But suffice to say reports this week that revealed the NRL’s greatest enigma has ripped out his bar at home and replaced it with a personal gymnasium will surely be music to the ears of the South Sydney faithful.
Let’s face it, last season was a stinker for the Bunnies and nobody was on the nose more than their No.1 gun.
After finding a brief, long-overdue patch of form to win a NSW recall, he reminded everyone of his capabilities with a devastating performance in the Blues’ Origin II triumph, only to suffer a season-ending foot injury soon afterwards.
Even worse, while he was sidelined, he was involved in the much-publicised incident in Dubbo, when a photograph surfaced of him in close proximity to an unidentified white substance and inevitably went viral on social media.
The NRL Integrity Unit took a dim view and handed down a one-game suspension, and the consensus of opinion seemed to be that, at the age of 27, Latrell had reached his career crossroads.
Which way would he turn next?
Souths fans can only hope that Latrell had arrived at a belated epiphany, possibly after a frank discussion or two with incoming coach Wayne Bennett.
Because if there is anyone with a proven track record for delivering a few home truths and dragging troubled souls off the rugby league scrapheap, it’s the 74-year-old master coach.
Bennett and Latrell already have a great relationship after their two seasons together at Redfern in 2020-21.
And while there was speculation that former Souths coach Jason Demetriou paid the price for allowing big guns like Mitchell and Cody Walker to run their own race at training, Bennett’s reputation suggests he knows exactly how much slack to cut every individual.
In other words, if anyone understands how to get the best out of the moody Mitchell, it’s his incoming boss.
Already the portents are promising.
The game’s heaviest fullback has reportedly already shed five kilograms over the off-season, and a family photo while on holidays on the Gold Coast indicated he was in good shape.
But there might be a few more Man Shakes required, because by my estimation Latrell has spent the past few seasons lugging around 10-15 kilos of extra luggage.
That’s been half his problem. He’s not as fit, or as fast, as he could be, and that manifests itself not in only injuries, but in frustration and brain snaps that lead to suspensions.
So Bennett’s first task will be to get Mitchell back to peak condition, and if he can achieve that, he has a lethal weapon on his hands.
Because as we all know, when Latrell is firing on all cylinders, he’s right up there with the likes of Nathan Cleary, Cameron Munster and Tom Trbojevic as one of rugby league’s absolute elite. Like Mal Meninga and Greg Inglis back in the day, he causes opponents to suffer insomnia as they prepare to line up against him.
The trouble is that Latrell’s big games have been few and far between of late. Consistency is not his forte.
But if Bennett can get him right, physically and mentally, anything is possible.
For some reason, I can’t help wondering if the Bunnies are a smokey for the title next season and capable of ending Penrith’s dynasty.
That might sound insane, given that they finished second-last in 2024 and at one stage were a chance to usurp the wooden spoon from hapless Wests Tigers.
Bennett is unlikely to be remotely fazed by that. To the contrary, it will allow him to fly under the radar with less expectation than usually accompanies his arrival at a new club. But the coach will know that Souths still have the nucleus of a decent squad.
Walker remains one of the silkiest ball-players in the business, and the likes of Cameron Murray, Jack Wighton, Keaon Koloamatangi, Campbell Graham, Alex Johnston and Jai Arrow are proven performers.
Meanwhile, Bennett’s reputation suggests he’ll have been busy behind the scenes trying to sign some reinforcements. He’ll also have to work out who plays halfback – English import Lewis Dodd, Lachlan Ilias, who missed most of last season after breaking his leg, or new signing Jamie Humphreys, whose one and only NRL game for Manly was a blinder.
The key, however, remains Latrell.
To have any hope of achieving anything next year, the Bunnies need the best version of Mitchell, week in, week out.
This week’s reports lend credence to the theory that the penny might finally have dropped.
If that is indeed the case, then it won’t just be Souths fans rejoicing, because there are few finer sights in rugby league than Latrell in full flight, regardless of who you support.
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