The young ball girl embraced by Latrell Mitchell after he nailed a sideline conversion late in Sunday’s semi-final has given a glimpse into the crowd abuse the South Sydney star has received over the past fortnight.
Mitchell kicked a goal to all but seal the 30-14 victory over the Sydney Roosters, then smiled and embraced 15-year-old ball girl and family friend, Aliyah.
Gun No. 1 Mitchell was in the headlines in the lead-up to the sudden-death final after he made it known he was disappointed with the Roosters fans who booed him the entire night the previous week.
Not once did he admit any racial slurs had been made, but the abundant abuse clearly took an emotional toll on the Indigenous pin-up who choked up while being interviewed by Brad Fittler after Souths’ weekend win.
Aliyah was old enough to appreciate what it meant for her idol and uncle to kick the winner and silence the critics.
“‘Uncle ‘Trell’ gets so much rubbish from the crowd, so to have a big moment like that when we’re winning, and to kick a goal in such a big game, he showed people what he’s really capable of; it was special,” Aliyah told the Herald.
Latrell Mitchell soaks up South Sydney’s elimination final victory over the Roosters on Sunday.Credit:Getty
“You could see it was a big relief for him.
“The abuse he receives, it’s indescribable. It’s pretty upsetting hearing it. They don’t know the real him.
“It was tame and a lot better than the previous week when the abuse was bad.
“It wasn’t even just him. I was copping it as well. I was like, ‘I don’t even know what I’ve done to you guys’.
“When he kicked that goal, he was shutting them all up in a way.”
Even Mitchell was mindful of what Aliyah had been exposed to in recent weeks as rival fans did their best to target him.
“I was kicking pretty well [on Sunday], it was an important time in the game, we could close out the game, she was standing there and understands what I go through when people are giving it to me on the sideline,” Mitchell said.
“She can hear a lot more than what I can hear.
“That moment was perfect because I kicked the goal, she was right there and I gave her a cuddle.
Mitchell embraces South Sydney ball girl Aliyah after a crunch conversion last week.Credit:NRL Photos/Brett Costello
“We’re pretty close, I know her family, and just as a club you want to get around your ball girls and ball boys and make them feel comfortable while they’re out there.
“It is a confronting job being in front of massive crowds. That’s probably the biggest crowd she’s been in front of.
“She’s heard a lot in her life, I can guarantee that. It was a great moment to share with her.”
Mitchell has attracted widespread support for calling out poor behaviour, be it at games or on social media.
The rhetoric being trotted out last week was fans who paid good money to attend games could boo whomever they wanted and however often they wanted. But in Mitchell’s case, as Souths coach Jason Demetriou summed it up to the Herald last week: “We’re not talking about the odd heckle – we’re talking about a consistent amount of disrespect in my eyes.”
Aliyah has been a ball girl the past four seasons and her family has close ties to Souths, including working with Souths Cares. A handy centre with the Redfern All Blacks who can only dream of kicking goals like Mitchell, Aliyah said her club could go all the way this season — especially with Mitchell firing — with Cronulla awaiting them on Saturday.
“I’m a Souths fan – Souths all the way,” Aliyah said.
“All the young Aboriginal kids look up to ‘Uncle Trell’. Sometimes I forget he’s an NRL player because I see what he is like in the real world and away from footy.”
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