Latrell Mitchell in ‘best form’ on return for the South Sydney Rabbitohs

One of the highlights of last year’s game was the arrival of Shaquai Mitchell, who was almost lost for the game as he climbed to 179kg. He was moved to tears when Latrell called to break the news of his selection to the All Stars.

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Shaquai hasn’t looked back since that night, playing three NRL games and dropping the weight further in hopes of improving his first-grade performances, particularly with a front-row vacancy created by Mark Nicholls.

“I came here for preseason training at the start of last season, about 125kg, went down to 118kg, then put on some muscle and played a little over 120kg,” Shaq said. “Now I’m down to about 116kg, which is the lightest I’ve had in a long time.

“The goal is to play more [NRL]. I don’t like to take free hands, I work hard for mine [success], and that’s how I want to keep it. There’s so much talent in this squad, we’re all fighting for places, that’s the name of the game and all I can do is keep going.”

“What Shaq accomplished last year is just the beginning and he’s backed it up this preseason by coming back in better shape – going into this All-Stars game with better headspace and a lot more confidence than last year,” said Demetriou.

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