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Rodney Churchill, the son of rugby league Immortal Clive Churchill, has launched a stinging attack on South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell, saying the club’s pampering of him has backfired.
Churchill has long doubted Mitchell’s value, and he has taken South Sydney’s internal war to a new level.
Rabbitohs legend Sam Burgess walked out on the club on Wednesday after growing tired of the way coach Jason Demetriou was dealing with him and Mitchell.
“I don’t think he has delivered as a fullback at all,” Churchill said. “Souths have not won a competition in his time, and they’ve had the team to do it. In my view, he has not put in 100 per cent effort. The way he has been treated has had a negative effect on the whole club. In my view, Mitchell has been the catalyst for this whole implosion. The whole situation has backfired. ‘Gus’ [Phil] Gould came out and said a few things about him [Mitchell] not delivering. He was proved right.”
Churchill says the coach has got it wrong when it comes to Mitchell.
“He is the world’s best centre and is totally out of position as fullback,” Churchill said. “The coach has got it wrong. He [Mitchell] is too lazy and doesn’t have the physique to be a fullback.”
Latrell Mitchell is too lazy to play fullback, according to the son of a Rabbitohs great.Credit: Getty
Churchill’s father, Clive, is a rugby league Immortal who played for Australia 37 times. Clive won five premierships with Souths as a player and three more as a coach.
“Our club has always had enormous respect for the Churchill family and Clive’s unique contribution to the Rabbitohs. Our boardroom is named in his honour,” Souths chief executive Blake Solly said.
“But these comments are inaccurate and unfortunate. This time last year everyone in the game was marvelling at Latrell’s performance against the Roosters in a sudden-death semi-final, and he has just been nominated for an NRL leadership award. Latrell’s passion and commitment to the Rabbitohs is as strong as anyone in our club.”
Burgess will be at Russell Crowe’s farm on the North Coast some time in the next two months with fiancee Lucy and their newborn baby. Burgess’ relationship with Rabbitohs part-owner Crowe is intact despite Burgess’ emotional exit.
It has been reported that they have fallen out because Burgess walked out on the club and that Crowe hung up on the star after asking him to stay on until the end of the season. It appears that is way off the mark. Burgess left South Sydney less than two days after the Herald reported he and fellow assistant coach John Morris believed Demetriou gave preferential treatment to Cody Walker and Mitchell.
Burgess explained to Crowe that he could not compromise his views or core beliefs, and so he was leaving. When Crowe asked him what was best for the team, Burgess said leaving was the only option.
This was part of the olive branch the club offered Burgess after the board wound back the decision it had made less than 24 hours earlier to sack him.
Burgess’ conversation with Crowe was essential on a number of levels. They are mates and Crowe was the one who wanted him at the club as an assistant coach. And that is at the heart of the problems at Souths. Demetriou was never comfortable with Burgess as his assistant.
From left: John Morris, Latrell Mitchell, Jason Demetriou, Cody Walker and Sam Burgess. Credit: NRL; Brook Mitchell; Getty
It was significant that at the press conference on Wednesday following Burgess’ departure, Demetriou said he had no problem with Morris, but he did not say the same about Burgess. Morris will finish out the year at Souths, but has signed to join Benji Marshall at Wests Tigers in 2024.
Much of the media coverage of the tumultuous week at Souths has centred on Burgess being unhappy with the standards at the club, and that is a significant part of the problem. A bigger issue, however, is Demetriou’s handling of a club legend, who is highly regarded by the players – a figure far bigger than any of the players at the club.
Now that Burgess and Morris are gone and going, this is either the beginning of the end for Demetriou or the end of the beginning. We will know which by this time next year.
A similar season to this one – with the club on the brink of missing the finals despite leading the competition after 11 rounds – will mean he is walking away with a two-year contract payout, and Burgess could be the new head coach.
Burgess was never going to be at Souths next year after almost a year of butting heads with Demetriou. That was even if he hadn’t landed the job as Warrington head coach. Burgess is a big personality and wanted his own team – and he was always going to find one. He knows to become a first-grade coach he has to learn by being his own boss.
The issues for Burgess started to become clear at the beginning of the year. He was heavily involved in the chase for fellow Englishman and Newcastle winger Dominic Young, along with the man known as “The Art Dealer”, Steve Nasteski. They had Young bound for Redfern and, as a big right winger, he would have been a great signing in a position in which the Rabbitohs have struggled.
However, Demetriou went cold on Young and those close to the deal say it coincided with news Burgess was involved. Young later signed with arch-rivals the Roosters.
What tipped Burgess over the edge when it came to standards at the club was Walker’s outburst at the captain’s run last weekend. Those with knowledge of the situation have told me on the condition of anonymity that the star five-eighth told the coach to f— off in front of the team. Demetriou addressed the outburst with Walker privately later.
Burgess told people at Souths it should have been addressed immediately and that Walker should have been dropped. It was one of several issues at the club that Burgess believed were allowed to fester. Another was the removal of a club physio because Mitchell reinjured his calf during his rehabilitation – and that did not go down well with some players.
Pangai revelations put Schuster in new light
Tevita Pangai jnr’s revelations during the week that he was forced to play rugby league have resonated throughout the game, particularly in the NRL’s large Polynesian playing community.
Pangai bravely admitted that he never had a real love for league and didn’t really want to play the game. It makes you wonder what other players are experiencing.
Manly playmaker Josh Schuster.Credit: Getty
Manly’s Josh Schuster was earmarked as an NRL star from a young age. His love for the game is something we have taken for granted. But it is worth considering what he might be going through as a young man in the spotlight with people analysing his every move. The criticism of his weight, in particular, has been brutal. We might need to all cut him some slack.
This is not the popular view of Schuster, but perhaps we need to just give him time to find himself as a young man. His $800,000-a-season price tag is putting enormous pressure on him.
Pangai really struggled with the idea of playing up to his contract value.
Schuster has been out of Manly’s NRL side in recent weeks as mid-season recruit Jake Arthur finishes the season in the No.6 jumper. Schuster is still a young man finding his way in the world, and he’s growing up in the spotlight. None of this is easy, particularly when he knows he’s not playing the kind of football he is capable of, and being paid for.
It’s hard to imagine the pressure he is feeling from his club, the fans and, most likely, those close to him. This all needs to be taken into consideration when criticising him.
The raw talent is there, and while there is no question he is yet to live up to the price tag and hype, there is still plenty of time to do so.
Manly coach Anthony Seibold is willing to be patient and even allow Schuster to find himself away from the spotlight in the lower grades.
Give up the hunt
The hardline stance of incoming Dragons coach Shane Flanagan on Ben Hunt means he will have a player at his club next season who would rather be somewhere else.
With the Dragons looking less and less likely to agree to Hunt’s request for an early release, he will now turn his focus to getting out of his contract in 2025. At this point, Hunt will be committed to the players around him and will be at the Dragons next year.
He had a heart-to-heart talk with his agent, Col Davis, last week and is resigned to the fact the Dragons won’t let him leave.
Like many at the club, Hunt is waiting for the big signings that have been promised by the new coach. Flanagan has told people the club is in the mix for Roosters stars Joseph Manu and Joseph Suaalii, who has signed a massive deal to play rugby from 2025. Both seem very long odds to head to Wollongong.
Hunt would be the key piece in the Titans’ puzzle, and could turn them into a side that challenges for the finals.
Great pod almighty
Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould has added another string to his bow. He is a finalist for podcast host of the year for his Six Tackles with Gus. It’s a great listen.
Read Danny Weidler’s column in full on Sunday morning.
Stream the NRL premiership 2023 live and free on 9Now.
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