The Latrell enigma: $600k contract disagreement and touching act in teammate’s career lifeline

Everyone has an opinion on Latrell Mitchell.

For some, he is one of the most destructive players in the NRL. For others, he is one of the game’s most polarising figures.

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But ask the people who sit beside him every day at South Sydney, and a different picture begins to emerge.

They know the Latrell who jokes around the dressing room.

The one who looks after younger teammates.

And the human being who can lift a room with aura, challenge a teammate to perform at their best.

They know the man behind the headlines.

LATRELL THE TEAMMATE

The first thing teammates notice about Latrell Mitchell is his presence.

It is difficult to explain exactly what it is, but almost everyone who spends time around the NRL superstar eventually reaches for that same word.

“He’s just a presence,” Jayden Sullivan told foxsports.com.au.

“He’s got so much ability as a player and he’s honestly just a freak.

“I’m glad he’s on my team now and got to put that out there. I have to tackle him sometimes, but do the old two-hand touch.”

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Lachlan Hubner knows that feeling well.

The Rabbitohs forward has spent enough time trying to handle Mitchell at training to know there is little point in pretending it is a fair contest.

“It’s pretty exciting (being around him),” Hubner told foxsports.com.au.

“He’s a massive presence out there and throughout pre-season you try and tackle him, but you’ve got no hope.

“He’s massive and hopefully he gets firing and he’ll be excellent for us.

“He’s indescribable. A big powerhouse and pretty excited to play off the back of it.

“You just do touch and make it look like you’re not tackling him.”

Meanwhile, Jamie Humphreys knows exactly what that presence feels like on game day.

“He’s a presence. That’s exactly what he is. He’s an intimidating figure,” the utility told foxsports.com.au.

“He’s someone when we’re looking around the dressing room or about to run out and you see him lacing up the boots and he’s on your team wearing your colours, it certainly gives you a confidence boost.

“Not just for what he brings on the field, but the intimidation factor and certainly guys in the other team are keeping an eye out for it

“That creates space for everyone else, but it also allows him to do the freaky thing he does and only he can do.

“To have him back this year after the sort of year we had last year (has been great).”

However, the thing about Mitchell’s presence is that it changes depending on if you see him on or off the field.

On the field, he is an intimidating figure, but once you walk off it he is simply one of the boys inside the Rabbitohs dressing room.

“He’s just one of the boys in the locker room with the lads,” Hubner said.

“He loves a laugh and relaxing as well, getting away from footy and where he comes from.”

The ability to switch off from the pressures of rugby league is a big reason as to why Mitchell is so approachable as a teammate to those inside the four walls at the Cardinal and Myrtle.

The more time they spend around the star representative player, the more they discover there is for more to Mitchell than meets the eye.

For Humphreys, that includes a side of Mitchell that can often get lost beneath the headlines.

“I’m not sure if many people would know but Latrell is a really smart guy,” he said.

“He’s really switched on with his businesses outside of footy and that’s something I’m really interested in. I’ve certainly had a lot of chat with him in and around that.

“The more you pick his brain and the more you talk to him, you realise how intelligent this guy is.”

Over the past couple of years, Mitchell’s interest away from the football field has become a part of his public persona, from his businesses and community work to his growing lifestyle content and YouTube channel.

“He’s certainly someone who does a lot for the community, does a lot with his charity and does a lot with his lifestyle content as well which gives an insight into what it’s like to be an NRL player,” Humphreys continued.

“He’s got a YouTube channel now which is really cool.

“A lot of people really want to get an insight into those sorts of things and to see him doing that and to make leaps and bounds outside of footy even though he’s such an important factor in our game all of his stuff he does outside of footy is really interesting.

“It’s something that we speak about quite often and he’s quite the golfer.

“He’ll love to chat about his golf. He’s a really great guy, extremely generous with his time and he’s someone I certainly look up to as a player here at Souths.”

For Sullivan, it is the way Mitchell treats the people around him that offers perhaps the clearest insight into him.

“He’s got such a wonderful foundation with the Winmarra foundation and then he’s also starting his YouTube so you get to see a little bit behind the scenes,” he said.

“He’s just a good bloke and he’s such a family-oriented person.

“He’s a very respectful human and he’s always asking (about others). He’s not just worried about himself.

“He’s always asking about you and wants to know what you’re doing and stuff. It goes a long way in a team.”

THE LATRELL EFFECT

Cameron Murray has seen it from both sides.

The Rabbitohs skipper spent years going up against Mitchell before experiencing first-hand what it is like to have the superstar centre walking beside him on the field.

And there is a reason the Heffron-based outfit performs differently when their superstar is walking beside them with Murray saying there is a noticeable difference when he is out there.

“It’s good to have him back there and walking around with a bit of swagger again,” the Rabbitohs skipper told foxsports.com.au.

“Obviously his actions speak for themselves and what he can do in the game.

“He gives us a whole lot of confidence walking out with a big fella beside us so hopefully he can continue improving.”

The experienced lock knows better than most just how difficult Mitchell can be to contain from the other side.

“He’s obviously a big presence out there when you come up against him,” Murray said.

“He’s actually speaking for himself and what he’s been able to do in the game.

“He’s got a good track record there and when he’s walking out there alongside you he gives you a lot of confidence knowing that he can do things not many people can.

“He’s got a lot of swagger about how he does things and a big presence.

“He’s a great option for us when we go out there and a great attacking presence. Really looking forward to (my) first finals series with Latrell.”

Murray isn’t the only player who has felt the impact of Mitchell’s aura as an opponent.

Ask Kalyn Ponga what it’s like to defend him and the Newcastle Knights superstar immediately pointed to the physical mismatch that Mitchell possesses.

“I wish I was as big as him. There’s obviously talent and his a natural freak,” Ponga told foxsports.com.au.

“He’s pretty scary and he’s probably one of, if not the best big-moment players. Every time he touches the ball you got to be on high alert.

“He’s one of the best players really and I’m excited for the challenge.”

Then there is Roger Tuivasa-Sheck who has spent plenty of time trying to work out how exactly you stop a player who appears to have almost every weapon at his disposal

“He’s a tough player. He’s got many strengths to his bow. That’s what is crazy about him,” the Warriors star told foxsports.com.au.

“You look at the size of him and go, he’s a powerful runner. I’ll just go high and try to get two or three guys around him, but then he’s got good hands.

“He’s got a strong fend and can ball play as well. He’s one of those players where you just got to make sure you apply pressure.

“He’s a really good dude off the field as well so I’m happy that he got to get back. I think he almost killed that half he shot up to. That was crazy.”

Even before he reached NRL stardom and established himself as one of the competition’s greatest players, Tuivasa-Sheck remembers there was always something different about him.

“My younger brother played (with him) in their younger junior side and you already knew he was going to be special,” he added.

THE BIG BROTHER

The ability to make an impression on people has followed Mitchell throughout his career.

However, inside the Rabbitohs’ four walls, his influence goes well beyond what he can do with a football.

For David Fifita, it was evident from the moment he arrived at the Rabbitohs for a career-saving move, with the Australian international making the constant effort to reach out and make him feel welcome. Fifita revealed on Tuesday that his father had also passed away in Queensland right as he made the club switch to South Sydney last year.

“When I first signed with the club, he was one of the first boys to keep in contact with me on the phone and stuff,” Fifita said.

“He’s a special talent, Latrell. It hasn’t been ideal with injuries and stuff like that but he’s finding his way at the right time and I’ve got nothing but love for Latrell.

“He’s like a big brother.”

And it isn’t just established players who feel that influence.

For some of the younger members of the squad like Jye Gray, Mitchell is also someone who has set the standard through the way he carries himself and the demands he place on those around him.

“He’s awesome and brings such a presence. Both on the field and off the field, he leads by example and he’s a player you definitely want beside you and not opposing,” Gray told foxsports.com.au.

“Speaking for myself, when you’re younger, he made sure he gave it to us which only makes us better players as well.

“At training you have to get through it, but it’s definitely good having him on the field.”

THE FIGHT TO GET BACK TO THE FIELD

Over the past few seasons, Mitchell has been forced to battle through a series of injury issues and 2026 was no different.

This season brought another frustrating stint on the sidelines as injury threatened to derail his season once again.

Even Mitchell admitted there were times when he questioned whether he would play another match this season.

“To be fair, I didn’t really know whether I was going to play again,” Mitchell said on Tuesday.

“There were some times there where it was definitely questionable. You wouldn’t wish it upon your worst enemy.

“The mind is a funny thing. I’ve always put things out there and good stuff comes back, and it has.

“I wanted to come back and add a bit of value and do Wayne (Bennett) proud. You want to be there for your mates, put on a brave face and do what you have to. That’s our job.”

In what initially appeared to be a nerve issue, the injury turned into back and calf problems that would keep him sidelined for four months and make him miss the entire 2026 State of Origin series.

“It was just a bulging disc, and apparently I’ve had it for a very long time. Around halftime of the Newcastle Knights game (on May 3) it was burning me,” Mitchell added.

“To go out and do that second half was one of those things where it’s like, well, this is our game, this is what we do it for, and it’s what you want to do for your teammates.

“I pulled up with it after, but you want to be there for your mates and put on a brave face and do what you’ve got to do because that’s our job and that’s what we get to do every day. That’s why we love it.

“I just love playing footy and I want to be there for my teammates, whether I’m injured or not.”

Four months later, Mitchell is back in the Rabbitohs jersey and will play finals football for the first time in four years after being desperate to return to the field alongside his teammates.

THE PRICE OF KEEPING LATRELL

Currently earning around $1.1 million a season, Mitchell runs off contract at the end of 2027 and will hit the open market on November 1, when he can speak and negotiate with rival clubs.

The Rabbitohs are expected to make retaining their superstar a priority, but it is understood that keeping him could require an increase of around $300,000 per season to a hefty $1.4 million salary. A leading reporter suggested he was worth top dollar not just because of his on-field ability.

“I think Souths are going to try and get a deal done,” CODE Sports reporter Brent Read said on Fox League’s NRL 360 in June.

“They haven’t started the process yet, but I’d imagine later in the year they’ll try to knock a deal over.

“That’s when he’s happiest and at his best and I think once he gets back later in the year, then they’ll sit down and talk turkey with him. They want to keep him.

“They can win a comp with Latrell fit and firing. For me, there’s a little bit of a premium with Latrell for everything else he brings — the personality, the persona.”

On pure talent, there is no debate that Mitchell is worth that amount.

When fully fit, the NSW Blues star remains one of the NRL’s most devastating players and has the ability to change a game in an instant.

However, the size of the potential deal has raised multiple questions, particularly given his recent injury history and limited availability on the field.

This prompted fellow CODE Sports reporter David Riccio to float the idea that Mitchell and the club should consider a significant pay-cut to around $800,000 a season — a $600,000 disagreement over his potential asking price.

“He’s played nine games this season, 11 in 2025 and 2024 and 16 the season before,” Riccio said in June on Fox League’s NRL 360.

“He hasn’t been able to complete a season and when you balance your books, you guys are saying he’s a marquee player so I assume you think he’s $1 million or more?

“That is massive money for a player that hasn’t played more than 17 games in a season since 2019.

“We also need to consider that he’s made the move from fullback to centre. The physical toll of playing fullback has been taken away yet these injuries keep happening at centre.

”I agree he’s marquee, but Souths have to have a serious discussion. I’d offer him $800,000. Again, he hasn’t played enough games.”

For the Cardinal and Myrtle, it creates a difficult balancing act.

How much do you pay for a player who can be so influential when he is on the field while also factoring in the risk that comes with his recent injury history?

Then there is the part of Mitchell’s value that cannot be captured in a contract figure.

The confidence. The influence. The presence. And the aura he has around the club.

“If you’re at a footy club and it’s top dollar, that’s half a season (he is playing),” Gorden Tallis said on Fox League’s NRL 360.

“I’m not saying he’s not worth the money; it could just be a bit dangerous.”

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