"They are worried about the wrong thing": Webster highlights lack of accountability from South Sydney and Latrell Mitchell

The Sydney Morning Herald’s chief sports writer Andrew Webster has taken aim at the South Sydney Rabbitohs over the Latrell Mitchell suspension.

Following an investigation by the NRL and integrity unit, Mitchell was fined $20,000 and suspended for one-match after a photo of the 27-year-old with an unknown white powder was released. Souths fined Mitchell $100,000 with $80,000 suspended after a lengthy board meeting.

Despite interim head coach Ben Hornby claiming two weeks ago that Mitchell would not play for the rest of the 2024 season due to injury and fitness, the Rabbitohs have hired independent doctors to prove Mitchell is fit to play in Round 27 and ensure that the fullback can use his suspension for the final game of the season and be available for Round 1 in 2025.

Webster believes South Sydney has allowed the Mitchell controversy to fester and the attempt to have Mitchell serve his suspension this week is evidence that the Rabbitohs have once again not held their marquee player accountable for his actions.

“I think it’s fundamentally wrong,” Webster said on SEN 1170.

“I can understand that South Sydney are doing the best for their player but surely there’s a bigger issue here and that’s the attitude and behaviour of their superstar fullback who is on $1.2 million a year.

“It wasn’t great to see players at an all-in media conference laughing and having a big smirk on their faces about the whole thing.

“Are they going to discipline the bloke or not? There’s a negotiation (between Souths and the NRL) about when he can serve the one-match ban.

“The ban is the least of South Sydney’s worries. There is something fundamentally wrong about trying to find a loophole. It sends the wrong message not to their supporters or members but to Latrell.

“This is a contrary conduct charge handed to a player who has had numerous offences in the past.

“It seems like they are worried about the wrong thing.”

Webster believes that there is an issue of accountability at South Sydney and it has started from the top.

“This sums up the bigger problem at Souths which is that they talk a tough game on discipline and Latrell then this happens.

“The concern is that Wayne Bennett is seen as the silver bullet and will unlock Latrell.

“What happens in three years when he goes? They will be in the same position they were at the end of 2021.

“He’s a 27-year-old footballer in his ninth season. He must take control over his whole career.

“The only time Latrell has ever said he’s done the wrong thing was in an Instagram story after fronting the board. Souths and his management hide behind the line that he can’t say anything because it’s an integrity manner. Rubbish.

‘He could’ve got on the front foot on day one and said he’d done the wrong thing.

“If you put your hand up, it kills the story. As it stands, it’s the fourth week and it’s the never ending scandal.”

The NRL have not yet made a decision on whether Latrell Mitchell is fit to play and can use the Round 27 match against the Sydney Roosters as his suspension.