KING OF THE KIDS
LEAGUE legend Laurie Daley has urged Latrell Mitchell to follow in the footsteps of Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis and become the NRL’s next indigenous icon.
Mitchell will make his anticipated move to fullback in tonight’s All Stars clash at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.
At 22, Mitchell is already one of the NRL’s biggest stars, having won two premierships and represented Australia and NSW.
The excitement machine is also a fiercely proud indigenous Australian, regularly fighting back against online trolls and speaking honestly about cultural issues.
The NRL has lost some of its strongest indigenous voices in recent years following the retirements of Inglis (2019) and Thurston (2018).
The stage is set for Mitchell to step into the void and Daley believes the 96-game NRL player is ready.
“He is certainly capable of elevating himself to that standing in the game,” he said.
“That will come down to how hard he is prepared to work throughout his career. He’s got plenty of talent and we know what he’s capable of.
“He’s a real leader in the indigenous community and can be a guy that can influence a lot of players and people.
“I’ve seen him develop over the last couple of years as a leader and he’s taken on that role very seriously.”
Mitchell was the focus of the NRL’s off-season following his dramatic switch from the Roosters to Rabbitohs.
He will switch from centre to wear the Indigenous All Stars No.1 jersey tonight against the Maori All Stars, in what will be his first run ahead of a permanent move to fullback for the Rabbitohs.
THE Maori All Stars want to bring the Indigenous All Stars to New Zealand, with next year’s game up for grabs.
The All Stars clash has been locked in to the 2021 preseason calendar but the NRL is yet to secure a venue.
The All Stars game will be the fifth time the match has been hosted at Robina since it started in 2010, and seventh in southeast Queensland.
The game wasn’t played in 2014 and 2018, but has also been at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane (2013 and 2016), McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle (2017), and Melbourne’s AAMI Park (2019).
“We’d love to keep this going and hopefully one day bring it back home and showcase our culture to the Indigenous boys and NRL,” said Maori co-captain Adam Blair.
Tonight’s crowd figure could play a major role in whether the match returns to the Gold Coast in 2021.