Diary keeps high-flying Roo grounded
LATRELL Mitchell has begun keeping a journal, which he describes as a cathartic experience that he plans to continue when he returns from the World Cup.
The South Sydney and Kangaroos superstar was initially reluctant to play in the tournament but as he prepared for the semi-final against New Zealand this week, he acknowledged his decision to fly to England had been one of the best of his life.
He has rarely been seen with anything other than a smile on his face. He has been a breath of fresh air at training. He has become a powerful voice in the team room.
“I am definitely in a great head space, probably the best I have been,” Mitchell said. “I have learned to cope with a lot of things. I have been putting tools in there and fixing things when they come to me.”
Mitchell has recently taken to keeping a diary in his car.
“I’ve been writing in it for my clothing business because I do my best thinking when I drive,” he said.
“I just write s--t down when I drive. I thought I’d bring it on this trip and see how I go with it.”
And so it began, Mitchell would sit down at the end of the day and record his every move, what he had done and how he was feeling.
Over the entire trip, he has only missed one day. He even wrote in the diary when the team went on a three-day sojourn to Scotland, where they played golf and paraded themselves in fancy dress.
He would sign off each day with Trellmit, his self-appointed moniker.
“I’ll sit there and read it back to myself,” Mitchell said. “Take some deep breaths and brush it. I would suggest it to a lot of the young fellas. It would be good for them.
“I have been writing a lot of things down when things didn’t go my way, how did I feel, the emotions, how I reacted. I will read it back to myself and go actually, I was stupid. There is so much funny s--t in it.”
Mitchell became eligible to sign with rival clubs on November 1 but seems happy to spend the rest of his career at South Sydney.