Jason Demetriou is expecting Latrell Mitchell to grow as a leader and take his game to greater heights now that his future is settled as Souths CEO Blake Solly slammed the delayed CBA decision.
Mitchell locked in a four-year contract extension that ties him to the club until 2027 and Demetriou is convinced his star player will evolve into a stronger leader and even better player over the course of the deal.
“He enjoys being a leader, he enjoys standing in the centre of the room and saying, ‘Come with me boys’,” Demetriou told SEN 1170 Sportsday.
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“He’s learning how to articulate that and how to use his motivation to rub off on other players around him and that’s pretty special.”
With Cody Walker and Damien Cook also locked in long-term, Demetriou expects Mitchell to dominate in the coming years and sees it as his mission to get him in the right shape to make a premiership run at the back end of a long season.
“We know what he’s capable of doing on the field but if he can bring people with him off the field, that’s probably where his game goes to another level again,” Demetriou said.
“It’s about getting some balance in Latrell … he’s missed some footy in patches and he’s come back last year and he was outstanding for us.
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“I think he’s been great, our win rate when he plays is up in the mid 70s.
“So our mission now is to get him fit and get him feeling as good as he has done for the last few years come March and then making sure we get that balance right throughout the season so come September, (he) and every other player in our team is in good shape and we’re able to put our best team on the park.”
Solly voiced his frustration with the NRL for their inability to agree to a Collective Bargaining Agreement and a salary cap, which means players have been signing contracts under ratchet clauses.
“The ratchet clauses have got a start in everyone’s contracts, they’ve been mandated by the NRL since Covid started,” Solly said on SEN.
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“It’s easy to say that the ratchet clause takes care of that (not going over the cap) but it’s far more complex (than that).
“Like anyone you want some certainty around how you’re negotiating and the environment you’re negotiating in.
“Let’s be honest, it’s pretty disappointing that we sit here two months into a first financial year of a new cycle, and we don’t have a CBA and a salary cap.”
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Solly believes the players deserve for the talks to come to a resolution so they can have greater clarity on what their contracts look like going forward.
“I credit the players and the RLPA, they’ve been professional and diligent, and very patient all the way throughout this process,” Solly said.
“I think it’s really time now that the commission particularly put its shoulder to the wheel and deliver the certainty that the industry is craving.”
