‘I’m emotionally attached to the Rabbitohs’: Freeman fires up Souths for Indigenous Round

Olympic legend Cathy Freeman has never met Latrell Mitchell but admires the way the Rabbitohs star “represents his family and community and culture”, and is inspiring the next generation of Indigenous sports stars.

The 400m gold medallist from the 2000 Sydney Games also recalled being intimidated by coach Michael Maguire when asked to address the South Sydney playing group before the 2014 grand final, and revealed winger Alex Johnston was the one player she feared taking on in a foot race.

Freeman rarely gives media interviews, but spoke to this masthead as she joined Souths to help celebrate Indigenous Round on Saturday night.

Freeman was asked to join Souths, who have no fewer than 11 Indigenous players in their line-up, having addressed the group the day before the 2014 grand final. She later appeared in a famous photo sitting next to the premiership trophy with Greg Inglis, who was due to lead the players onto the field for the game against Parramatta on Saturday.

The two Bunnies Freeman was keenest to meet for the first time were Mitchell, one of the biggest Indigenous sports stars in the country, and coach Wayne Bennett.

“Wayne’s a bit of a legend, isn’t he?” Freeman said.

“And while I’ve never met Latrell, I love the way he competes, the way he represents his family and community and culture, and the way he’s captured everyone’s imagination.

“You also have to admire someone who uses their voice and stands up for what he believes in. That’s never difficult to do if you are being true to who you are.”

As for her memories of 11 years ago, Freeman said: “I remember being invited to speak to the players, and I entered the room not long after Michael Maguire had spoken to them. He was very strong and clear with his messaging, and very intimidating. It’s an experience I have never had since.

“I used to work with his wife, Joelle, in Melbourne, and got to know them before they came to Sydney.

“I spoke to the players about trusting the process and trusting each other and having that trust in the coach. The photo with Greg after the game was such a happy time. It was really nice to know I had played a small role.

“I live in Melbourne, but I still follow footy, and I’ve emotionally attached myself to the Rabbitohs because they were the first team to invite me into their home, and allowed me to be a part of their journey and success.”

Freeman praised Souths Cares and their boss, Alisha Parker-Elrez, for the work they do in the community, as well as the NRL for “providing a platform for everyone to celebrate and enjoy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders culture”.

It has been 25 years since Freeman held her nerve to win gold at her home Olympics. She had already helped with several promotions ahead of the anniversary, and said whenever she spoke to people who were inside the stadium that memorable night, “their excitement is contagious”.

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