South Sydney were optimistic that their star fullback would return to the field this season.
Interim South Sydney coach Ben Hornby has delivered an unexpected update on Latrell Mitchell, with significant uncertainty surrounding the superstar fullback’s return. The Rabbitohs need to win all five of their remaining games to keep their NRL finals hopes alive and were counting on Mitchell’s return for round 24 following his Lisfranc foot injury sustained in the round 18 victory over Parramatta.
However, Hornby has revealed that the club has not yet decided whether Mitchell will play again this season. The fullback has been using a moon boot on his injured foot and is scheduled for additional scans once he’s out of it. It appears the Rabbitohs are hesitant to risk the 27-year-old if they fall out of finals contention.
Hornby’s team faces a challenging run, playing all three of the top teams, starting with ladder-leaders Melbourne on Thursday night. They must defeat these top sides, along with games against the Wests Tigers and Newcastle, to have any chance of making the finals. Although mathematically possible, qualifying would require a near-miracle.
Hornby admitted he hadn’t calculated the exact scenario and had “assumed” the Rabbitohs’ finals chances were already gone. Significantly, Hornby revealed he is not planning for Latrell Mitchell’s return next week and is solely focused on the crucial home game against the Storm. This suggests Mitchell might have already played his last game of the season for South Sydney.
“I’m not sure about the exact calculations, but I’m assuming our chances of making it are slim,” Hornby said. “I’m focusing on this week and not looking ahead to next week. We’re taking it game by game. Each game presents a greater challenge and a valuable opportunity to face top players.”
“Last week, we matched the Sharks for significant stretches. Unfortunately, our passes didn’t connect, and we weren’t good enough. Despite that, I felt it was one of our better performances in the last month. We were up against a top-four side that’s almost fully fit, which made it tough. Still, I’m really proud of the boys and their effort.”
Brisbane also falls into this category and would need to win their final four games plus a final bye to have a chance at the finals, relying heavily on other results to go their way. Similarly, the Warriors, who were last year’s fairytale team, are now struggling in 13th place after a significant drop.
Souths, Brisbane, and the Warriors are all up against higher-ranked teams this weekend, which could jeopardize their already slim chances of making the finals. Meanwhile, Gold Coast, currently the form team in the bottom half of the ladder, could see their top-eight aspirations nearly extinguished with another loss.
The Titans will take on fourth-placed Cronulla on Friday night and face the Roosters in two weeks. They may benefit from playing a potentially weakened Penrith side in the final round, as the defending premiers are likely to rest players before the finals. Newcastle has a relatively favorable run-in compared to other teams hoping for a miracle. However, their season could end if the Wests Tigers manage an upset on Sunday.