If South Sydney are to go on a giant-killing run for the rest of the season, they may look back on the small investment they made in sending Latrell Mitchell to the States earlier this year.
The 25-year-old was sent to the United States earlier this year after his second major hamstring injury left the Rabbitohs searching for answers.
He brought Mitchell to the United States, where he would work with world-renowned restoration specialist Bill Knowles.
Stream every game in every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership season live and ad-free during the game on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Latrell Mitchell’s cheap trip to the US is paying off in Sydney’s south. Photo: Getty Images Source: Getty Images
Although initial reports said the trip would cost around $70,000, the Sydney Morning Herald has detailed that the Rabbitohs got away with their investment of just $12,000 for the trip.
Although the entire trip for Mitchell, as well as physiotherapist Luke Annesley and videographer Sunny Brar, cost $57,000, the Bunnies only spent $12,000 after one of their main sponsors, Ingenia Holiday Parks, pumped in $45,000 to donate support for the rehabilitation of the superstar. .
In addition, the trip was not included in his football department’s cap because they were authorized by the NRL as “medical expenses”, according to the Herald.
Not only have the Rabbitohs seen the benefit of a fully fit and rejuvenated Mitchell on the field, but the two-part documentary entitled Pushing Boundaries has had over a million views across their social media platforms. As such, the video is the most viewed content in the club since Sam Burgess’ photo history following his wedding.
Mitchell’s spectacular form has seen the Rabbitohs rediscover their mojo, with the club climbing to seventh in the NRL table after winning three games in a row to start July.
And after Ryan Papenhuyzen’s knee injury, Souths could extend their winning run against the Storm on Saturday night.
Papenhuyzen hurt as Storm lose again | 02:30
Asked to compare Mitchell’s form to Jarryd Hayne’s in 2009, Souths manager Jason Demetriou said: “Ask me in three weeks’ time.”
“Latrell is in a great place, but we’ll know more at the end of the year – it wasn’t just about coming back and playing football, it was about staying healthy this year and the years after,” Demetriou told Herald.
“I still think there’s more to him, every week he’s going to get better and over the next month we’ll see the best of him.
“He’s a presence. He’s the type of guy who says, ‘Come with me,’ and people follow him. Having guys like Damien Cook and Cam [Murray] back this week [after an Origin break] it will be a big help because they do it too.”