'Proudest black man alive': Latrell and Cody revelling as role models

“The proudest black man alive!”

That’s how Latrell Mitchell described himself on the eve of this weekend’s NRL Indigenous Round as he revealed the impact of a recent trip with Rabbitohs team-mate Cody Walker to flood ravaged Cabbage Tree Island.

Mitchell and Walker were invited by NSW Police deputy commissioner Paul Pisanos to visit the island’s Indigenous community of about 200 adults and children, who had been forced to relocate after devastating floods in early 2022.

Pisanos and police colleagues had met some of the children, who asked them to return for a game of touch football – but only if they bought Mitchell and Walker with them.

“Rugby league plays a big part in Aboriginal communities, it is like a religion to be honest,” Mitchell said of the visit he and Walker made just two days before starring in South Sydney’s 32-6 defeat of Brisbane in Magic Round.  

“We were very proud to be up there, very grateful to be able to get into the community spirit, with obviously what happened up there and the resilience they have shown.

“I got a kick out of it and that is why we played the game we did, because the fulfilment that me and Cody got out of it was second to none and I really enjoyed that part of it.”

Walker, who is a proud Yuin man from the Bundjalung nation, grew up in nearby Casino and had been frustrated he was unable to help at the time of the floods due to COVID restrictions.

“There wasn't just a couple of houses here and there, their whole community got wiped out and they're living in pods nearby their home,” he said.

“So, for us to go up there, it wasn't necessarily to do anything spectacular, it was to put some smiles on some kids' faces and just show that we're there for them, and we're thinking of them always.

“I'm sure Latrell, I and the police got more out of it than the kids did really, because it definitely puts things into perspective and makes you realise how lucky you are.”

Yet in the days after their visit, the impact that Mitchell and Walker had on the Cabbage Tree Island community became evident when other children who had been displaced during the flood returning to school.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo told the audience at the Indigenous Round launch at Bare Island in La Perouse, the suburb with Sydney’s largest Indigenous population, that Mitchell and Walker’s visit to Cabbage Tree Island was an example of the work the game’s stars do in the community.

“From the Immortal, Arthur Beetson, to Larry Corowa, Cliff Lyons, Anthony Mundine, Gorden Tallis, Preston Campbell, Greg Inglis and Latrell Mitchell -  these are some of the giants of the game, heroes for generations of fans and creators of some of the greatest rugby league memories and moments since 1908,” he said.

“But it is more than just what they do on the field; it is what our leaders do off the field too, to create a real sense of difference, sense of purpose, sense of community and sense of inclusiveness. Much of that is unheralded.”

The theme of Indigenous Round is Moving Forward Together and the NRL is a proud supporter of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which is set to be the decided at a referendum after the October 1 grand final.

The game has a strong connection with the Indigenous community as 9% of players are Indigenous, while ARLC commissioner Megan Davis was an architect of the Uluru Statement of the Heart, which helped inspire the referendum.

Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, who is a former chair of the ARL Indigenous Council, was a guest at the launch.

“Rugby league is part of our contemporary Aboriginal culture in Australia. That’s how important it is, and how ingrained it is in our community,” Burney said.

The Rabbitohs will wear a jersey that pays tribute to Aboriginal Elders when they host Parramatta at Allianz Stadium on Friday night and Walker, Mitchell, his brother Shaquai, Alex Johnston, Isaiah Tass and Blake Taaffe attended a sunrise ceremony at Little Bay with their families.

The players were painted in ochre and Mitchell wore a traditional cloak.

“Indigenous Round is obviously a very proud week for me, but I don’t only have one week to celebrate it, I celebrate it every week,” Mitchell said.

“I am definitely loving where I am at with this club and what it represents, so I am very passionate to wear this jersey and I can’t wait for Friday night.

“If you wonder why the greats come here - Greg Inglis and Eric Simms and everyone that started here – it’s because there is no judgement here, there is no race or colour at all. We are all one.

"That is what the Rabbitoh represents and that is why I am very proud to be here, and I am just loving it. I'm the proudest black man alive, I reckon. One hundred per cent. Why not.”

While Mitchell has been one of the game’s superstars from a young age, Walker didn’t make his NRL debut until he was 26 but he never gave up on his dream and hopes his journey inspires young Indigenous players.

“It’s amazing that it’s Indigenous Round because you draw inspiration from what our people have gone through over the last couple of 100 years," he said.

"It’s ingrained in me that you don’t give up, you show resilience, you show strength, and I’ve been taught that from a very young age."