NRL legend James Maloney has called for the NRL and South Sydney to step in and put an end to Latrell Mitchell’s self-imposed media ban.
After being awarded the Spirit of the Anzac Medal for best on ground in the Bunnies’ 48-6 win over the Storm last weekend, Mitchell gave a rare speech, which was met with huge cheers from the crowd.
“I just want to say thank you to all tonight. Today is based on the memories of the people before us. I am a proud Aboriginal man, I love my culture, I love this country and I appreciate everyone who fought for it,” Mitchell said post-match on Saturday night.
You can watch Latrell Mitchell’s full speech in the player above.
It is one of only a handful of times Mitchell has spoken in the past two years, as he put himself on a ‘self-imposed’ media ban since 2024, refusing to speak to reporters or in post-match press conferences.
Souths continue to respect his wishes, and the NRL hasn’t put its foot down and forced him to front up, despite rules stating that clubs must ensure that all players are made available to the media once every three weeks.
However, NRL great James Maloney has called for the 28-year-old to fulfil his commitments and again open himself up to interviews.
“We all (footballers) understand we get paid decent money, and it all comes through TV rights and that comes with an expectation that you need to do media,” Maloney said on news.com.au’s Extended Bench.
“I can understand where Trell comes from as he has been hung out to dry for things he did and said but he needs to also understand that it is what runs our game and brings the pay cheque in.
“No other player is unavailable (for media commitments) and I dare say any other player not under Wayne (Bennett) would be able to do that.”
Maloney feels the best way may be to get him back into it in a controlled environment.
“It is probably best to get him to do bits where he can control the narrative where it’s not going to be misinterpreted. Maybe on this podcast” Maloney added.
Maloney’s comments come after Josh Morris slammed Mitchell for continuing to avoid the media.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous. In an age where we have social media and more access than ever to the players, record viewership and all that,” Morris said on 2GB last week.
“It’s part of your contract that you have to speak to the media. I don’t know how he gets away with it.
“It’s almost like saying ‘I’m bigger than the game’. I don’t understand it. Even a press conference or interview once a month. But 18 months, that’s taking the mickey.”
Fans also are eager to see him back in front of the mic, blown away by his post-match speech on Saturday.
“He is a natural in front of the microphone. Latrell Mitchell is a star,” Yvonne Sampson said on the Kayo broadcast straight after his speech.
AAP’s Scott Bailey took to X to write: “One of the great shames of Latrell Mitchell’s self-imposed media bans is that he actually has one of the best and most powerful voices in the game when he does speak.”
“His speech after the game was actually really nice,” Sally Gearing added.
While another commented, “That was the best speech I’ve heard”.
But for now, Latrell is letting his football on the field do the talking, with the Souths star scoring 10 tries in just 7 games.
He has been near-unstoppable this season, racking up 16 Dally M votes, putting him 7th overall, with Warriors forward Jackson Ford leading the way with a whopping 31.
You can watch all new episodes of news.com.au’s The Extended Bench every week on YouTube.
