Do we like them?

Do we like Latrell Mitchell?

Our score: 7 out of 10. Nothing harmful turned up and he does real community work, held back by a 2020 firearms plea and the 2024 photo saga.

Latrell grew up in Taree on the NSW Mid North Coast, and the sport and the town shaped him. He has talked about the racial abuse he copped as a junior, which he calls ignorance, and he keeps going back home to give kids what he didn't have. In 2019 he said he just wanted to give back to his community whenever he could.

The rough patches are real, though. In 2020 he pleaded guilty in Taree Local Court to giving a firearm to a person not authorised to hold one. In 2023 he was charged over an alleged fight outside a Canberra nightclub, with affray and resisting police. He maintained his innocence, and the case collapsed when a senior officer admitted he had given false testimony, so all charges were dismissed.

Then came the 2024 photo of him leaning over a white powder, which leaked while he was sidelined. The NRL and the Rabbitohs fined him, with part of the club fine suspended, and gave him a one-match ban. He fronted the club board and admitted he had made “poor decisions”, and the club said he showed remorse. It's a stain, but a single episode, not a pattern.

On the harm test we found nothing against him. No remarks about LGBTQ+ people, women or migrants turned up, and nothing on climate or public health either. When the Voice referendum loomed he said he was undecided and wanted to learn more. He has been on the receiving end of racist abuse for years, and in 2021 two men were charged over alleged racist messages sent to him. He vowed to keep speaking out, and that counts in his favour.

The good stuff is substantial. Souths gave him their Souths Cares award in 2023 for community work: visits to flood-hit towns, anti-bullying workshops, and a male leadership and cultural camp on his family's farm in Taree. He also arranged tickets for 50 Taree junior players to see a big game, and he has pushed for the NRL to take games to country towns.

He has only played 12 games this year, and his future is up in the air, with Souths reportedly willing to wait on a new deal. Whatever club he lands at, the picture is a bloke with a temper and a couple of dumb moments who is generous with his community and doesn't back down on racism. The record is thin on his views outside racism and football, and we found nothing harmful. Support him? Yeah, we reckon.