Latrell Mitchell has declared Matt Burton’s No.3 Blues jersey is his after the pair faced off at club level, calling the decision to sit out the State of Origin decider the hardest of his career to date.
In a passionate post-game press conference after he played a starring role in the Rabbitohs‘ 36-28 win over Burton’s Bulldogs, Mitchell made no secret of his motivation coming into the contest.
“I turned up to prove a point, and I did that,” the stand-in Souths skipper told reporters.
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Mitchell was scintillating in the Rabbitohs win. In what was a see-sawing affair, he was busy all night but kicked it into overdrive in the last 15 minutes, when he set up up two of the Rabbitohs’ last three tries.
The 25-year-old finished the match with three try assists and 137 running metres. He also scored a try of his own after he bulldozed former Origin teammate Josh Addo-Carr in the 60th minute.
Despite the Blues being unable to win the series, Burton impressed in his first two Origin appearances after making his debut in the No.3 jersey Mitchell had previously made his own. The rivalry between the pair was apparent throughout this contest as they got into each other’s faces on several occasions.
Mitchell said he was “just showing what (he does)” to his younger rival.
“That three jersey is mine. Tonight I wanted to just prove that I’m here to play footy and I wanna enjoy that and then keep ticking boxes for South Sydney,” he said.
“But big credit to (Burton) – he really showed up. He had to back up from Origin which was a big tough game … it was enjoyable.
“I was happy he didn’t throw up one of them big kicks though.”
Mitchell had been in contention for a recall to the Blues squad following his stint in the US – which cost the Rabbitohs a reported $70,000 – recovering from injury, but pulled out of contention following the Bunnies win against the Eels in round 16.
“It was the hardest decision I had to make, and I wanted to pay forward to the club and didn’t want to be selfish in that space where the club’s invested so much in me,” Mitchell said of his decision to withdraw from the Origin finale.
Mitchell said he’s still not quite back to his best, and that it will come with confidence.
“I’ve learned now just to focus on the day-to-day and know what my goal is, and what my prep looks like,” he said.
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“I’ve got to get to the point where … I’ve done everything in my power to play a game of footy, and tonight and this week that showed.”
The Rabbitohs will next take on the struggling Storm, who have lost three on the trot for the first time since 2015.
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