Why Roosters’ David Fifita pursuit could force Latrell Mitchell to fly the coop
Latrell Mitchell has a big decision to make on his future.
Latrell Mitchell has a big decision to make on his future.
The Sydney Roosters’ interest in signing David Fifita is a further indication the back-to-back premiers appear to be preparing to part company with star centre Latrell Mitchell in 2021.
Rarely do the Roosters let a representative player they are intent on keeping get to the stage of going to the open market as of November 1.
Yet in the case of Kangaroos centre Mitchell, the clock is ticking and rival clubs are queuing up.
While Kiwi Test centre Joey Manu’s new deal is all but done and the Roosters have also signed his younger teenage brother from New Zealand, Mitchell’s latest negotiations have been anything but smooth sailing.
It’s a shame because there’s a view the Roosters understand Mitchell better than most.
After all they’re the club who developed him from the age of 16 when he moved to Sydney from the NSW mid-north coast town of Taree.
In many ways, the Roosters have been like a second family for Mitchell.
But there is a concern the Kangaroos centre can often have a head full of lots of different voices around him pushing the line about being a $1 million a year player.
The Bulldogs got the ball rolling in the middle of this season by getting a third party to approach Mitchell’s family and gauge his interest on switching to Belmore on a deal worth seven figures a season.
There’s a view the Dogs are still very much at the negotiating table but what happens next is anyone’s guess.
Other clubs are guaranteed to be interested. But what price will the Roosters be willing to go to for the Kangaroos star? There’s a view the premiers probably won’t go much over $750,000-a-season.
Whereas once Mitchell hits the open market, he’ll easily be able to command far in excess of that figure.
But compare that with Kiwi Test centre Manu, whose new deal will be announced with the Roosters any day now.
Manu will be on a contract worth around the $550,000-a-season mark.
And on form this year, it’s easy to see which player represents better value for money.
Then the Roosters also have a steady stream of young gun talent consistently rolling off their precession line, with Billy Smith the latest to stake his claim as a player on the rise.
What does it all mean for Latrell? We’ll find out over the next fortnight. Once rival clubs really ramp up negotiations, it’s bound to become a bigger issue.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...t/news-story/cf2060a8f25d87c525256aeee20ce68c
