- Storm edged out the Rabbitohs 24-16
- Mitchell was sin-binned for 10 minutes in the clash
- Now faces suspension
Latrell Mitchell has both Craig Bellamy and Cameron Munster in his corner with the heavyweight Storm duo unlikely defenders of the South Sydney star.
The Rabbitohs fullback was sent to the sin bin and put on report for his tackle on Storm speedster Sua Fa’alogo during the Anzac Day clash in Melbourne, won 24-16 by the Storm.
The shot saw Fa’alago forced off AAMI Park where he failed a HIA, meaning he will miss Melbourne’s Magic Round clash with Canberra.
Mitchell has been charged with a Grade 2 Dangerous Contact offence, which means one week on the sideline and two weeks if he fights the charge and loses – a blow for an undermanned team already missing Cody Walker and Cameron Murray.
Despite it further decimating his backline stocks, coach Bellamy spoke out in defence of Mitchell, with Fa’alago appearing to slip under the fullback in the wet conditions.
The 20cm difference in height between the towering Sydneysider and Fa’alago also didn’t help.
Souths superstar Latrell Mitchell faces a ban for his high shot on Storm speedster Sua Fa’alogo
Mitchell was sin-binned for this hit in Souths loss to the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park
‘I just think in the game now, there’s a lot of, when people get hit high, they’re dropping,’ Bellamy said.
‘I don’t know whether … sometimes, you can’t control that.
‘I know it’s a dangerous place to go to pick ones out that you think could or couldn’t have controlled it, so I don’t think anyone’s going to go there, but I don’t think there was too much malice in it. But I only had a quick look at it.’
Munster, who captained the side with regular skipper Harry Grant out injured, felt it was difficult for Mitchell to avoid the Storm player.
‘I know we’re trying to protect a lot of players with obviously the head knocks and stuff but I’m probably on the side of Craig.
‘It’s slippery out there, it’s wet, force on force, a lot of speed. Sua’s very quick, Latrell’s very big and I don’t know where you want Latrell to go there.
‘Sua’s obviously trying to engage him to be able to pass and he slipped over so I feel like sometimes it’s hard to get yourself out of those positions when you’re fully in and into the contact.
‘There was not a whole heap of malice by the look of it and I’m sure he’s got nothing to worry about.
‘I know where the game’s trying to go and protect a lot of players and as long as we keep it consistently around the game, I don’t have a problem with it at all.’
The Souths camp said they would let the judiciary process unfold, with assistant coach Ben Hornby standing in at the press conference for coach Wayne Bennett after he lost a tooth.
‘I honestly didn’t get a real good look at it but it did look like Fa’alago lowered his level a fair bit and Latrell tried to lower his level,’ Hornby said.
