South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou has deflected any blame away from star fullback Latrell Mitchell after his side endured an all-time flameout in the 2023 NRL season.
Leading the competition after Round 11, South Sydney went on to miss out on the top eight, becoming the first side in the NRL history to do so from that position.
With Mitchell missing ten weeks of action due to a hamstring issue, the Rabbitohs were in desperate to have him back in the side upon his return, but the star fullback failed to regain his best form.
Mitchell’s subpar defensive efforts were put on full display when he returned whilst his appearance alongside country music star Luke Combs at a concert in Sydney caused controversy amongst the NRL community.
Speaking on Mitchell’s rollercoaster 2023 season, Demetriou was quick to remind many how dominant he was prior to the injury and the difficulty of recovering that form in the middle of the year.
“When he’s fit, we all know how good Latrell is,” Demetriou told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“People forget he went into Origin the best fullback in the game, in my opinion. He was a big contributor to why we were on top of the table, then he doesn’t play (for) 10 weeks.
“But when you miss 10 weeks in the middle of the season, it’s hard to get your form back for the rest of the year, not to mention come back into a side that had lost confidence, that put more pressure on him.
“The frustration of the injury, and the extended period he was out, it didn’t put him in a good place either.
“I’m really excited to have him back, I know how much he is also hurting about the way we finished the year.”
Demetriou also noted that Mitchell will get a full preseason under his belt for the first time since joining the club in 2019.