Mitchell Avoids Charge for Post-Whistle Incident

South Sydney Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell has not been charged by the NRL match review committee for an incident that occurred after play was stopped during his team's 30-12 victory over the St. George Illawarra Dragons on Saturday night.

The incident took place following a whistle for an off-side penalty. Mitchell grabbed Dragons player Daniel Atkinson and moved him towards the in-goal area, resulting in Atkinson colliding with a goal post.

The match review committee did not issue a charge or fine to Mitchell for this incident on Sunday.

However, the NRL may still issue Mitchell a 'concerning act' notice. This is a formal notification for on-field actions that do not result in a formal punishment but are flagged by the league for future reference.

Background and Commentary

Mitchell has been charged twice previously during the current NRL season. In a separate Round 6 incident, he was also not sanctioned for a play involving Bulldogs player Connor Tracey. On Saturday, Mitchell was a dominant force on the field, scoring four tries in the match.

Commentators reacted to the post-whistle incident during the broadcast. For Fox League, Steve Roach stated:

"The game was already stopped. I think he regretted it after he did it. A little bit of a brain explosion."

Another commentator described Mitchell's act as "unnecessary".

Other Match Review Outcomes

The match review committee did hand down sanctions for other incidents from Saturday's games:

• Dragons forward Jaydn Su'A received a three-game suspension for a shoulder charge.
• Players Peter Mamouzelos, Emre Guler, Wayde Egan, Patrick Herbert, and Brendan Piakura all received fines.

Coach's Response

South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett, when speaking about Mitchell's overall performance, offered strong support for his player:

"I'm just really proud of him, Latrell."