South Sydney back-rower Jacob Host admits his training bust-up with superstar teammate Latrell Mitchell was the “most attention” he had ever received in his career.
Host and Mitchell were caught on camera last week squaring up and grabbing each other by the collar during a training scuffle at Redfern Oval.
Host, who has played 73 games since making his debut in 2016, said he was shocked to see his moment with Mitchell become a major talking point in the competition.
READ MORE: Lawsuit threat that triggered ‘never seen before’ card chaos
READ MORE: Why Cheika couldn’t say no to Argentina Rugby World Cup challenge
READ MORE: Super Rugby champions stunned by Chiefs in crazy comeback
“You missed the real fight in the sheds afterwards, there was round two,” Host joked. “We can all agree I’m now undefeated in my fight career.
“After it all happened I saw the cameras in the grandstands and thought this could be something. I didn’t realise it would be on every news outlet.
“I had mates send me clips from the radio. It’s the most attention I’ve ever had. Even my dad rang me after seeing something on Instagram and said, ‘Mate, what have you done now?’
“It was a good laugh. I’ve got a bit of a hot head, and my younger brothers would attest to that. Latrell is also a passionate person and player and emotions get the best of us.”
Host said he was surprised he felt the need to take to social media to make it clear there were no hard feelings between him and Mitchell.
“I’m about 105kg, he’s a little heavier, so I was fighting up a weight division. Straight after it happened we were hugging each other,” he added.
“I’m surprised there were no photos of that. We had to defuse the situation ourselves on social media to let everyone know we’re sweet.”
Stream the NRL Premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now.
Meanwhile, Mitchell will return to the South Sydney line-up when the Rabbitohs take on the Storm on Thursday.
Mitchell was last season banned for six games for a high shot on Roosters centre Joey Manu, which left the latter with a shattered cheekbone and eye socket.
The Rabbitohs fullback was set to return in Round 3 before he earned a reprieve from the NRL, with the competition ruling that Mitchell’s omission from the All Stars game should count towards his suspension.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!