Questions have been raised over whether South Sydney are “better off” shifting fullback Latrell Mitchell to the centres as the embattled club search for answers after a poor 0-3 start.
For the second straight week, the Rabbitohs are the biggest story in the NRL with the outside noise amplified after Souths’ embarrassing 48-6 loss to the Roosters in Round 3.
Jason Demetriou is sitting on the hottest coaching seat in the NRL, but many of his star players aren’t lifting their weight on the field.
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Mitchell was one of the better Rabbitohs in Round 1 and 2, but he was ordinary in the Roosters loss.
NRL legend Gorden Tallis believes that Mitchell’s game will be better suited in the centres.
“There’s talk that Latrell should be a centre. There’s got to be someone in the system, that’s the role of the recruitment to have a backup in case he goes down,” Tallis said on NRL 360.
“The fullback has become an effort role where Latrell is a strike weapon. He’s powerful, give him the ball eight times a game and see what he does instead of all that running.
“Is that Latrell’s weapon, as a strike centre?”
Fox League’s James Hooper noted there was an impressive fullback waiting in the wings in the form of 20-year-old Jye Gray.
Gray turned heads for Souths during the pre-season and has carried that form into the NSW Cup season, scoring two tries for the Bunnies reserves.
Hooper went onto say that he agreed with Tallis in that Mitchell would “probably be better served” shifting to left centre.
“I think Latrell would probably be better served at this point of time moving to left centre but I do worry about how he would receive that news and react to that,” Hooper said.
“You just have to look at all of his old footage from the Roosters and when he was at his best there and its in the centres,” Tallis responded.
“When he’s dominated State of Origin its in the centres. When he gets quality ball he makes his opposition look like kids.”
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NRL 360 co-host Braith Anasta pointed out that Mitchell struggles with defensive positioning as a fullback.
“You look at the great fullbacks in our game and their there before the play is there. They pre-empt it, they are moving before the ball goes, they are on the bike,” Anasta said.
“He gets caught out a lot in defence, he’s very rarely in the frame at the last second when there’s a try or when he’s got an opportunity to save a try.
“That’s where he needs to improve on. That comes down to fitness too Gordie, and comes down to being one of those high energy fullbacks. He plays differently.”
“They run more than any other player in the game the fullbacks. Do we want him doing that or do we want him to be a strike player?” Tallis replied.
Source Agencies
