When Madge met Trell: Mitchell and Maguire break bread at Souths do

This is the photo that proves Latrell Mitchell’s love affair with the NSW Blues is back on.

Mitchell and NSW coach Michael Maguire were spotted deep in conversation during a break in official proceedings at South Sydney’s 10-year premiership reunion at Souths Juniors on Saturday.

Around 500 people attended the annual old boys’ day – and plenty in the room were keeping tabs on the meeting of ‘Madge’ and Mitchell.

Maguire took to the stage for a question-and-answer session, but resisted discussing Origin and the potential selection of Mitchell at left centre, preferring to keep the focus on Souths’ drought-breaking premiership in 2014.

Just after 1.30pm, Mitchell sat down with Maguire at the coach’s table. At some stage, the discussion would have turned to Mitchell being ready to come back for the Blues and try to salvage the Origin series against Queensland at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday week.

Later on Saturday, Mitchell posted a photo of he and Maguire to his Instagram story with the caption, “We on?”

Mitchell could not have done any more the previous night, when he scored a try, set one up and was at the heart of everything again for Souths in their 22-12 win over Brisbane.

Maguire watched the game live as a guest of South Sydney in the chairman’s lounge.

The only negative for Mitchell was being fined $3000 by the match review committee for contrary conduct after he took exception to Cameron Murray being hit off the ball by Jordan Riki.

Mitchell was concerned for Murray given his history of head knocks, and let Riki know what he thought. Riki and Mitchell each spent 10 minutes in the bin, with Riki also hit with a two-match ban.

The Rabbitohs No.1 was spotted nursing sore ribs on more than one occasion against the Broncos, but it did not even rate a mention on the club’s medical report on Saturday.

There has been confusion over whether Mitchell would make himself available for the Blues in the lead-up to game one.

But the Indigenous powerhouse has received a groundswell of support since Joseph Suaalii was suspended for his high shot on Reece Walsh in game one, which created a centre vacancy. The meet-and-greet with Maguire should have left both men clear on where they stood.

One Souths premiership winner – and Queenslander – Lote Tuqiri told this masthead during the week he would try to keep Maguire and Mitchell on separate sides of the room at the reunion so that the Origin talk was kept to a minimum.

“Latrell loves the big stage, he’s a big-game player, and he can turn a game on its head. Those sort of big moments in Origin are made for guys like him. Madge would be stupid not to pick him. It’s a no-brainer from NSW’s point of view,” Tuqiri said.

South Sydney CEO Blake Solly certainly hoped Mitchell and several other Rabbitohs would be back to help their state.

“I would love to see Latrell back playing for NSW, and he would love to play for his state again, just as Cody [Walker] would, and Cam and Keaon [Koloamatangi],” Solly said on Saturday.

Mitchell has not played Origin since the triumphant 2021 series. Matt Burton, an 18th man for game one, is another centre option for Maguire.

Burton’s best asset is his left boot, with his torpedo bombs a lethal attacking option. But Mitchell’s high balls caused just as much trouble for the Broncos’ back three.

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