Latrell Mitchell’s season is over, and with it, the Rabbitohs’ premiership hopes.
That’s the call from NRL guru Phil Gould who says the NRL will have no other option but to suspend the fullback for a brutal shot on Joey Manu after setting down a fierce precedent against foul play this season.
It was the undoubted talking point of the Rabbitohs’ 54-12 win over the Roosters as Mitchell poleaxed Manu with a high shot in the 58th minute that left the Kiwi Test star with a suspected fractured cheekbone.
Manu’s face puffed-up immediately, and he became so emotional he walked over to Mitchell, remonstrating with his former teammate after eventually picking himself up off the ground.
The hit sparked a series of melees that carried over until the final whistle, but the damage had been done, and with it, a huge change in the landscape of the upcoming post-season.
While Gould insisted there was no malice in the challenge, he saw it hard for Mitchell to wriggle his way out of anything less than the rest of the season on the sideline.
“Latrell Mitchell, there will be a lot of people at home calling for his head. But it’s from people who have never played the game or been in that position like he was defending his try-line there,” Gould told Nine’s Friday Night Footy post-show.
“He’s got this wrong, he’s made contact with the head and that’s what it is. But we’re certainly going to hear more about it because given what we’ve seen this season. The fact that he’s made contact with the head, it won’t matter why or how it’s happened, the fact that Manu is so badly injured and he’s got loading, I can’t see how he won’t be spending time on the sideline.
“We’re going to have one of the game’s leading players miss the finals series. He’s going to miss the finals series. They will charge him, they will find him guilty and he will miss the finals series. It’s tough, it’s really tough.
“I’m telling you he won’t play again this year. He won’t play again this year.”
The incident has likely ended both the Rabbitohs’ and the Roosters’ final hopes with Manu looking a long shot of returning, as does Siua Taukeiaho who departed early with a knee injury.
“They’ve knocked two teams out tonight, they’ve basically knocked two teams out of the competition, they’ve knocked their premiership chances out tonight,” Gould said.
“They’ve basically handed the grand final to the Storm and the Panthers tonight, they’ve handed the final to the other two sides”
Eighth Immortal Andrew Johns agreed.
“Souths, without him, are no chance of winning the competition,” He said.
“If he’s not there they can’t win simple as that”
However, Cronulla Sharks great Paul Gallen held some hope for Mitchell’s chances.
“I don’t think it was intentional, I think it was careless,” he said.
“I think he was being extremely aggressive but at the end of the day that’s what rugby league is, it’s an aggressive sport.
“You’re not out there to make friends. He’s out to inflict pain on his opposition, legally, of course.”
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