Souths superstar Latrell Mitchell is blasted for waving the white flag in shock performance in loss to Cronulla: ‘Give up that game completely, disgraceful’
- Mitchell shot at by footy fans
- Suppose he gave up while defending
- Defeated Souths 26-12 by Sharks
South Sydney lost 26-16 to Cronulla at Optus Stadium on Saturday night and superstar Latrell Mitchell was berated by some fans for his ‘disgraceful’ performance.
Souths have now lost three of their last four games and will fall behind the block in the middle of the ladder unless they can recapture their form from earlier in the season.
The Rabbitohs were first on the ladder after 11 rounds, but have struggled for consistency ever since, with defense being the main cause of concern.
Mitchell looked good last week returning from injury against the Tigers, but that form was nowhere to be seen against the Sharks in Perth.
In one pass of the game, the superstar fullback was completely tricked by Sharks winger Sione Katoa, stepping the seemingly flat-footed Mitchell with ease as he raced to the tryline.
Mitchell was criticized by some fans for appearing to give up while defending Cronulla
The incident infuriated many Souths fans who thought Mitchell, the last line of defense, had ‘given up’.
“Any other player except Latrell would be withdrawn after that…. Totally gave up on that game…. Outrageous,” commented one Twitter user.
Latrell stopped. He ran back before the try was scored,’ replied another.
“Latrell just stops and doesn’t show any effort, but no one will judge him for that. Pathetic,’ said a third.
“What was Latrell’s defense. One of the worst defensive full-backs. And then gave up and walked away,” another commented.
Coach Jason Demetriou believes South Sydney are at a crossroads and must decide what they want to achieve as a historically closed NRL season intensifies.
If Parramatta beat lowly St. George Illawarra on Sunday, Souths could finish the weekend outside the top eight.
The predicament has left Demetriou to gather his playgroup.
“We have to make a decision and quickly decide what this season means for us,” said Demetriou.
“We say the right things, but we don’t bring it to the pitch, not consistently.
“We have to be honest with ourselves, our staff, players and do well, and do well from next week.”
The Souths draw will work in their favor as they hope to record a sixth successive finals campaign – the Rabbitohs have a bye into the final four weeks of the premiership, playing only one current top-eight side.
Demetriou was also encouraged by the Rabbitohs’ ability to bounce back from 26-0 to 26-16 against the Sharks.
“I feel like we’ve shown signs that we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.
“(But) we lacked the smarts in the last eight minutes to give ourselves any chance.”