LATRELL THINKING
Try-scoring machine the man to stop
SOUTH Sydney coach Anthony Seibold says starving Latrell Mitchell of possession will be the best way to stop the red-hot Sydney Roosters star in tonight’s blockbuster.
Mitchell has emerged as arguably the in-form player for a Roosters side that has won eight of the past nine matches.
Their monster run has set up a tantalising clash with the ladder-leading Rabbitohs, who have identified Mitchell as the man to stop at ANZ Stadium.
Seibold said Mitchell had carried his form over from his breakthrough Origin series.
“Obviously he’s been a big part of our preview this week,” Seibold said yesterday.
“One thing we’ve noticed is he likes getting the ball ... so we need to be really strong inside our 20m zone because he’s scored six tries in the last couple of games.
“He’s made numerous line breaks and tackle breaks.”
Seibold has put the onus on his playmakers to steer the run of play deep in Roosters territory rather than allowing Mitchell to get close to their tryline.
“What we’ve got to try and do is play them down the other end, where he doesn’t carry too much down that end,” Seibold said. “If we can play down there, it takes him out of the game.”
With just three games remaining after this weekend, a win for the Rabbitohs would keep them on track for their first minor premiership since 1989.
But a loss would allow the Roosters to join them on 32 points and set up a grandstand finish for the JJ Giltinan Shield.
Although the Rabbitohs have lost three of their past four clashes with their arch rival, Seibold is adamant he doesn’t need any more motivation for the contest.
“I understand the history of the two clubs,” he said.
“It’s been a fantastic rivalry between the two clubs for a long time, since 1908. I don’t have to get in there and beat the drum.
“Do we like the Roosters? No, we don’t. Do they like us? No, they don’t.”
Rabbitohs winger Campbell Graham is in doubt with a wrist injury, adding to a growing list of backline injuries that includes Greg Inglis, Robert Jennings and Adam Doueihi.