Mitchell told those closest to him that at times he felt an obligation to project the image of being unbreakable.
The advice from his confidants was exactly the opposite,with Rose and Wright reinforcing the need for his teammates,and the public,to see a more vulnerable side to him.
So Mitchell walked into South Sydney’s Heffron Park headquarters in Maroubra the following morning and proceeded to pour his heart out to his teammates in an apology for his actions over the weekend that will see him miss the club’s next three games.
Sitting alongside his manager that afternoon,Mitchell relayed the same message in a meeting with coach Jason Demetriou and chief executive Blake Solly – that he was all in.
Mitchell wanted it known that over the next three weeks during his suspension he would attend every training session.
After the NRL hit Mitchell with a three-game ban on Sunday morning,the 26-year-old had reached a crossroads in his career.
The Rabbitohs had reached it,too. For years Souths have fought alongside the Indigenous star,encouraging him to stand up against the injustices his people have suffered.
They’ve encouraged him to find a work-life balance,often resulting in him spending time at his farm in Taree.
But on Sunday it reached a point where the Rabbitohs,the organisation that have given Mitchell the platform to be powerful and vocal,needed to come first.
They needed to see the benefits of their $1 million-a-season investment that so far hasn’t yielded the premiership they desperately seek.
During Tuesday’s meeting,Solly and Demetriou reinforced the club’s commitment to him. But in return they wanted assurances he was as committed to them as they are to him.
Mitchell told them,after a few days of soul-searching,that his priority in life was now football and family. It’s precisely what they wanted to hear,while aware that actions over the next few weeks would speak louder than his words.
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Nothing irks Mitchell more than those who believe he should “just shut up and play”. It goes against everything he has stood for throughout his career,priding himself on being the person willing to stick his neck out no matter the personal toll it takes on him or the consequences.
Mitchell feels that by being silenced,he has handed victory to those who have criticised him for being outspoken. He won’t be silenced,but for now he has narrowed his focus to support the club that has been so supportive of him,his family – and his people – for so long.
For Mitchell,this isn’t time to “shut up and play”. It is time to play and shut people up.
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