The National Rugby League (NRL) premiership race has been thrown into a new state of flux, as one of the competition’s biggest superstars is set to make his return just weeks out from the finals series, turning a mid-tier Sydney club into an immediate genuine title contender.
For months, rugby league fans have speculated over when star South Sydney Rabbitohs centre Latrell Mitchell would return from a persistent injury that sidelined him mid-season. Now, three short words from legendary Rabbitohs head coach Wayne Bennett have put all speculation to rest: Mitchell is cleared to hit the field this Saturday.
Mitchell has not played a competitive NRL match since South Sydney’s Round 11 loss to the Dolphins on May 15. The 29-year-old representative star has spent more than three months recovering from a back nerve issue that eventually triggered a persistent calf problem, forcing him to miss the entire 2024 State of Origin series for New South Wales and sparking widespread fears that he would miss the remainder of the 2024 season.
Before his injury, Mitchell was in the best form of his decades-long career, notching 11 tries across just nine appearances. That stellar run included a four-try masterclass against the St George Illawarra Dragons that cemented his status as one of the league’s most dominant attacking weapons.
In Mitchell’s absence, the Rabbitohs have turned in inconsistent results, hovering around the lower edge of the top eight finals positions. But with Mitchell set to link back up with star playmakers Cam Murray and Cody Walker, South Sydney is now being widely tipped as a dark horse that could upend the premiership favourites in the finals.
Mitchell was originally slated to return last weekend, but was a late scratching as the club’s medical staff exercised extra caution. This week, however, the star centre has received full medical clearance to face the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday afternoon. When asked directly by reporters if Mitchell would take the field, Bennett confirmed simply: “Yes he will.”
Bennett emphasized that the club has no plans to overwork their returning star in his first match back, noting that the side has held its own without Mitchell’s contribution. “The boys have been great without him, so we just need to get him back playing now and not put him under any unnecessary pressure where he thinks that he’s got to do something special for us because we can handle ourselves pretty well,” Bennett said. “It’s great to have him back and get a bit of condition and contact behind him.”
Addressing questions about whether Mitchell’s return was a rushed move that hid lingering injury issues, Bennett shut down any concerns, confirming the centre is completely match-fit with no ongoing pain management required. “He’s totally cleared to play,” Bennett said. “There are no needles involved, there are no painkillers involved, there’s nothing. He’s 100 per cent fit.”
The timing of Mitchell’s return could not be better for South Sydney. With just two rounds remaining in the regular NRL season, the Rabbitohs hold a two-point buffer over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs for the last finals spot, and a win over the Titans this weekend will all but lock in their place in the post-season.
Bennett has already mapped out his game plan for Mitchell’s return: the superstar will come off the bench to play left centre, forcing incumbent utility Tallis Duncan to shift into the back row. Beyond his attacking prowess, Mitchell’s reliable goalkicking is also expected to solve a recent kicking slump that has cost South Sydney close matches in recent weeks.
For Duncan and the rest of the Rabbitohs squad, Mitchell’s return is more than just a tactical boost – it’s a massive morale boost ahead of the finals. “He brings himself, you know? His X-factor,” Duncan said. “He’s Latrell, so any time you can be on the same field as someone like that, you know he’s a big moments player. When we need a moment, he’ll come up with the footy.”
With Mitchell back in the fold, the league’s top-four contending teams now face a new, dangerous threat to their premiership hopes, reshaping the final weeks of the 2024 NRL season.