Souths coach Jason Demetriou won’t bow the pressure of moving Latrell Mitchell from fullback and declared he is doing fine despite the conjecture surrounding his future.
Souths’ 0-3 start to the season has heaped pressure on Demetriou who is fighting for his future and Mitchell’s form has seen calls for him to shift to centre resurface.
Demetriou told The Sydney Morning Herald that he is not concerned with the constant media attention around his own future.
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“It’s not the first time I’ve been in a position you have to fight for your job,” Demetriou told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I played my whole professional career in England where you fight tooth and nail for your job regularly in terms of relegation.
“To be honest, it’s not about me or how I’m feeling. It’s about me doing my job for the boys and making sure they can go out there and be themselves.
“I know and have full trust that if these boys do their jobs and play and put the care into the right areas, results will start to run.
“Like I’ve said to the players, these are the kind of moments in your career that build character and put you in the direction that you want.
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“For some of the boys [who] haven’t been in this position before: bite down on the mouthguard, step into the contest, and let’s go after it.”
A stoic Demetriou is growing tired of having to convince everyone he is handling the pressure and remains confident his players can turn the tide for the club on the field.
“I’m sick of telling people I’m actually OK,” Demetriou said.
“And I am. I’m not walking around with my head down. I get to come to work at this fantastic club – if you can’t get up and get excited about coming to work for South Sydney, you’re in the wrong job.
“We need to turn that into performances on the field: that’s the only way people stop talking about the negative stuff.”
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Despite the poor start to the season, Demetriou will resist bringing in young gun fullback Jye Gray and shifting Latrell Mitchell to the centres.
“Everybody wants to put Jye Gray in,” Demetriou said.
“He’s had two games in NSW Cup against men. He’s 19 years old.
“I’ve got a duty of care to Jye to make sure that he’s not only ready to play first grade, but he’s ready to hold his position in first grade.
“I’m a big believer in Jye and where he’s going in his career, and I’ll make the decisions based on what’s best for him and the club moving forward to make sure he’s a long-term player for us. He understands that, and he’s still got some growth.
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“He’s learned some things that he’ll keep learning over the next few weeks.
“I’m not going to rush a 19-year-old kid in to replace one of the best players in our club.
“Latrell has had some good times in the first two games and no one enjoyed last week. It’s up to us to get back to enjoying the things that give us energy.”
Souths face the Bulldogs at Accor Stadium on Good Friday looking for their first win of the season.
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