Indigenous rugby league star Latrell Mitchell has revealed that both the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and Newcastle Knights missed out on signing him when he was a junior player.
The 28-year-old made the comments during an appearance on The Hello Sport Podcast, his first podcast or show appearance in over two years. Mitchell had imposed a media ban on himself in early 2024 after an expletive-filled rant during an interview with Triple M.
Now opening up, Mitchell disclosed that the struggling Bulldogs and inconsistent Knights overlooked him during his junior years.
Knights and Bulldogs Missed Out
When asked which clubs had knocked him back, Mitchell replied: 'Well the Knights (were) definitely No.1.' He further criticised the Knights, claiming they have overlooked other talented players as well.
'But they've done that to a few lads, you know, Payne Haas, Hudson Young, you know,' Mitchell said.
The NSW Origin representative then revealed a particularly harsh rejection from the Bulldogs, saying team officials did not believe he would make first grade.
'Then I went to trial for the Doggies (Bulldogs), and they said I would never play rugby league,' Mitchell stated.
Podcast co-host Eddy Simpson questioned Mitchell: 'Did they say that, like did they just verbalise that to you?'
'They didn't say it to me, but I know they said it in an email to someone,' Mitchell replied.
Fan Reactions
Fans of both clubs have voiced their frustration. One person wrote: 'Who the f*** was running Newcastle scouting back then?' Another Bulldogs fan commented: 'As a bulldogs fan…. I'm so sorry please come back.'
Mitchell has since enjoyed a stellar career, winning two premierships with the Sydney Roosters before moving to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, where he has been in scintillating form this season.
Origin Selection
Mitchell is firming for a spot in the NSW Origin team once again, but first needs to recover from a back injury ahead of South Sydney's Magic Round clash against the Dolphins in Brisbane.
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has backed his superstar to be fit for the Origin opener on May 27 at Accor Stadium.
'No, I don't think he will be in doubt,' Bennett said. 'He's got some treatment for it. He's reacted pretty well to it all, so hopefully, we might have him back next week. But if not, he'll certainly be right for New South Wales. State of Origin is two and a half weeks away at least, so he'll certainly be right by then.'
