As he prepares to make his return to the NRL, South Sydney teammates have declared Latrell Mitchell the game's best player and say they don't want him to change his aggressive nature.
Mitchell makes his comeback for Souths against the Melbourne Storm on Thursday after serving his suspension for a brutal hit on Sydney Roosters centre Joey Manu which rubbed the Bunnies No.1 out of their run to the 2021 grand final.
Last week discussions about the 24-year-old's temperament came to the fore once more when he was involved in a training ground fracas with back-rower Jacob Host.
Host laughed off the altercation but backed Mitchell to help them bounce back from their season-opening defeat away to the Brisbane Broncos.
"I think I got the win. I'm 1-0 in my professional fights now," Host joked on Monday.
"Latrell's chomping at the bit to come back and play. He's excited and we're over the moon he's back.
"He's passionate and ready to go and he's an imposing figure on the field.
"He's one of - if not the best player in the competition and before he was suspended he was on the top of the Dally M.
"He's impossible to defend because he's got a palm and he's powerful and he can throw a great cutout pass. I've never seen him so dialled in as in this pre-season."
The view was shared by winger Alex Johnston who added: "He definitely lifts us in the sheds and on the field.
"He's definitely the most talented (player in the NRL) when he's on he's the most damaging player for sure."
The downfall to Mitchell's brilliance, however, has always been his aggression and the incidents with Manu and Host are not one-offs.
Mitchell also missed games for an off-the-ball incident involving Wests Tigers winger David Nofoaluma last year and was suspended in 2020 for collecting then-Tigers half Josh Reynolds in a similar fashion.
Host though says he has no issue with how the Rabbitohs fullback sails close to the wind.
"He knows where he stands with his aggression," Host said.
"We love having him because he's a passionate person and player.
"We don't want him to put himself in a shell because he's such a fantastic player as you saw in State of Origin last year.
"I'm very excited to have him back and on my side so I don't have to tackle him (in training) anymore."
