Channel 9 complaint sparks NRL inquest

In the 58th minute of the Roosters-Rabbitohs clash, South Sydney fullback Latrell Mitchell was put on report for a high shot on former teammate Joey Manu.

It was later revealed the Roosters centre had three metal plates inserted into his face during an operation to repair a badly-fractured eye socket.

Manu is expected to remain in hospital for another day.

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Mitchell was charged with a grade two reckless tackle, and on Sunday morning the Rabbitohs advised the NRL that the club would not contest the charges, accepting a six-match ban.

Had he unsuccessfully challenged his charge at the NRL judiciary, Mitchell would have been rubbed out for nine games.

The 24-year-old’s suspension was amplified because of his poor match review record – he would have been offered a four-week ban without his prior offences.

On Sunday, it came to light that Waerea-Hargreaves had launched an expletive-laden tirade at Mitchell as the sin-binned fullback left the field.

According to Fox Sports reporter James Hooper, the altercation between Mitchell and Waerea-Hargreaves was “one of the most bitter and fiery feuds that we’ve seen on the field” in recent times.

“We know that Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is the Roosters’ enforcer and when Latrell was sin-binned, Jared took it very personally about what’d happened on the field,” Hooper told Fox League’s Big League Wrap.

“Given this is a 7pm timeslot … we’d better look after the expletive and colourful language but you can rest in no uncertain terms that Jared went at Latrell and gave it to him both barrels. A lot of adjectives, a lot of expletives.”

As revealed by The Daily Telegraph, Channel 9 has lodged an official complaint with the integrity unit following allegations Waerea-Hargreaves also swiped at a cameraman’s shoulder camera as he was trying to film Manu return to the sheds.

According to the NewsCorp report, players in the Roosters dugout were overheard calling Mitchell a “f***ing weak c***” as he left the field.

The NRL is also reportedly investigating the behaviour of the entire Roosters bench.

Roosters teammate James Tedesco wasn’t as irate in his response to the incident.

“(Mitchell) said he didn’t mean it and it was an accident,” the News South Wales Blues captain told Fox League.

“Latrell I don’t think he would do it on purpose, but it is forceful contact to the head so whether it is an accident or not it causes someone to break a fair amount of bones in his face. So it must be pretty forceful and to the head, so I know that you just can’t do that. You just can’t.

“He plays with fire and passion and that what makes him such a great player, but I guess it is just finding that balance of not overstepping the line.

“I don’t think you want to be breaking people’s faces.”

While the Rabbitohs sit in third position with one game to play, NRL pundits have cast doubt over the side’s ability to win the premiership without its star fullback.

“Latrell Mitchell has the same impact that Nathan Cleary has on the Panthers,” Sharks premiership player Michael Ennis told Big League Wrap.

“It’s an enormous loss for them. People will say that they’ve still won five of six games without Latrell Mitchell this year but that was against sides that have been in that lower part of the eight or around that eighth position.

“If they want to win the premiership without Latrell, they’re going to have to beat Parramatta, Penrith and the Melbourne Storm and they struggled against the Melbourne Storm as it is.

“Without Latrell Mitchell, I absolutely can’t see them winning.”

The Rabbitohs face the Dragons in their final game of the regular season and are likely to meet the Panthers in the first week of the finals series – Penrith has defeated South Sydney in six of the sides’ last seven encounters.

– with Tyson Otto & Jasper Bruce, NCA NewsWire