South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou criticized Latrell Mitchell’s actions as “foolish” after the fullback was placed on report twice during the Rabbitohs’ home loss to the Warriors.
The Warriors claimed a convincing 34-4 victory at Accor Stadium, but Mitchell’s potential suspension dominates discussions, especially as Souths struggle with injuries, including key players like Campbell Graham, Alex Johnston, Jai Arrow, and Lachlan Ilias. Mitchell’s involvement in two incidents, including what appeared to be a leading elbow making contact with Warriors’ halfback Shaun Johnson’s head, likely means he will face time on the sidelines.
Penrith legend Greg Alexander, commenting for Fox Sports, described the incident as “obvious,” later expressing bewilderment at Latrell’s decision-making during games. Mitchell received a caution for a dangerous tackle on Tohu Harris in the 31st minute, lifting the Warriors’ captain horizontally.
“They’re both foolish actions. You have to do better, it’s that simple,” stated Demetriou regarding the incidents.
However, the South Sydney coach refrained from directly criticizing Mitchell, whose repeated infractions are becoming a concern.
“I’ll address those issues with him during the week,” Demetriou said. “It’s not appropriate for me to discuss it right now. As a team, we’ll assess our performance honestly, as we always do, and identify areas for improvement.”
Mitchell’s potential suspension comes at a challenging time for Souths, who are set to face tough opponents such as Cronulla, Melbourne, and Penrith in the upcoming month.
His lack of discipline ultimately proved costly for South Sydney after an encouraging start, marked by Izaac Thompson’s early try. However, their momentum was short-lived, as Rocco Berry exploited weak Rabbitohs’ defense to put the Warriors ahead, a lead they maintained after Shaun Johnson’s successful conversion.
Between Mitchell’s two offenses, Souths committed four errors and were penalized for being offside three times within 13 minutes. Following Mitchell’s second report, the Warriors capitalized on Souths’ lapses, with Jackson Ford and Shaun Johnson scoring quickly to secure an 18-4 halftime lead for the New Zealand team.
Early in the second half, Johnson scored again, followed by Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad assisting Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s try in his 200th NRL game. Warriors’ five-eighth Te Maire Martin easily breached Souths’ defense in the 70th minute, leading to a significant portion of the 13,184-strong crowd leaving the stadium.
This victory marks the Warriors’ first win against the Rabbitohs since 2018 and intensifies the pressure on coach Demetriou.
“We have to step up,” he commented. “Our primary focus is analyzing this match and moving forward to next week. A few consecutive wins can quickly alter the course of our season, but we need to be realistic and accountable.”