Gorden Tallis and Braith Anasta have called on Wayne Bennett to make Latrell Mitchell’s move to the centre permanent when he takes over as head of South Sydney in 2025. Mitchell was at his best when plays left wing for NSW in State of Origin 2but will play as fullback for the Rabbitohs again on Thursday evening against the Eels.
There was a chain of thought that the former Souths coach Jason Demetriou considered moving Mitchell to center and let young Jye Gray play fullback at the beginning of the year. But Demetriou was sacked shortly after and interim coach Ben Hornby was forced to keep Mitchell at number 1 because Gray was injured.
The criticism of Mitchell in recent years has been that he has not shown enough effort and commitment as a full-back and has often not been in the right position in defence. He does not have the ball in his hands nearly as often as the best full-backs in the game and relies on producing big, flashy plays when he decides to get involved.
The 27-year-old showed how dominant he can be as a centre in Origin 2, scoring a try and providing an assist for Brian To’o. And his brilliant performance has reignited the debate over whether Mitchell should play centre for Souths.
“I think Latrell is the best centre in the world and he proved that last Wednesday night,” Tallis said on NRL 360 on Wednesday night. “At the moment Stephen Crichton has taken over that role but when Latrell comes back, it’s said that he’ll be the one touching the ball the most.”
“You don’t want him to make those nothing runs. You want him to get quality balls. Latrell can have a bigger impact on the game with quality balls and eight runs than he does (at the moment).”
But Hornby said earlier on Wednesday: “Latrell is our best fullback, it’s as simple as that. If you look at his stats since returning from suspension, they are equal to – if not better than – any other fullback in the competition.
“We need to look at what he does in that position, not just as a centre. He can play anywhere as a fullback and has been involved in three or four tries in every game since his comeback.”
Does Wayne Bennett still see Latrell Mitchell as a fullback?
However, Anasta rejected this argument, saying: “It’s about the quality of the touch. He should touch the ball at the right moment – and I have said this many times – in the right place on the field – in the 20-metre zone, in the attacking zone. He should get a good ball when he is fit and not tired, has a lot of energy and is the strongest player in the game.”
James Hooper pointed out that Bennett helped mould Mitchell into a fullback when he moved from the Roosters to Souths in 2020 and that he may not want to reverse that. “I think what State of Origin also showed us is that the time he spent as a fullback has quietly improved his game with the ball – he’s so much smoother,” Hooper said.
“His presence at outside position was an immediate concern for Queensland and that would be the case at youth level. He’s such a dominant figure. You know what he can do with the ball and he’s destructive when he runs. I think he’s better in the middle.
“Don’t forget Wayne was the one who made him a fullback as well. When he came from the Chooks he had only been a centre up until then. When he originally signed and was trying to find his feet as a fullback there was a lot of discussion, maybe that wasn’t his best position. And then he really dominated, got on a run and got to the grand final and cemented his position. I would think Wayne likes Latrell as a fullback.”
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Anasta said Bennett was the right man for the job if anyone could convince Mitchell to move back to centre – where he won two championships with the Roosters. “If Wayne whispers in his ear and says in pre-season ‘this is best for you’, he’s probably the right man to get him to make such a significant move,” Anasta said.
