In reality, most fans don’t care. His NSW teammates certainly don’t. Not when the 27-year-old can win games like no-one else - with frosty 49-metre field goals in driving rain, and clutch cut-out passes few have the temerity to even attempt, let alone pull off. Where Mitchell’s self-imposed, Rabbitohs-endorsed media ban gets especially intriguing is Origin, where he is the single most magnetic, game-breaking player in a contest full of them. And where broadcasters Nine - publishers of this masthead - pay through the nose for the NRL’s premium product, with all the trimmings, unrivalled player and coach access that money buys. The only shame of Mitchell’s NSW career is that he’s only featured in eight of the 21 matches played since his 2018 debut. The only other shame of Mitchell’s NSW career is a regularly rocky relationship with Blues hierarchy. The last time Mitchell truly spoke before his triumphant Origin return at the MCG, in an enthralling two-part fireside chat with Michael Chammas (conducted on an anonymous park bench in southern Sydney), he voiced publicly what has been said privately for years. “There was a lot of doubt with NSW because I’ve never been looked after,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been the scapegoat. I don’t want to go into this camp being the scapegoat if they lose.” Much of Mitchell’s ill-will stemmed from his 2019 axing by then-coach Brad Fittler when he went missing at Suncorp Stadium. And belief his 2023 calf injuries stemmed from mismanagement in NSW camp, prompting South Sydney’s physios to oversee fitness tests in conjunction with Blues staff. Last year NSW coach Michael Maguire made a point of setting Mitchell at ease and diverting attention from his star’s Origin return with his uncharacteristic “glass houses” remark, dominating the pre-game build-up with headlines of his own. Mitchell promptly shot the MCG lights out for his coach, teammates and state. Any thought the Blues might push Mitchell to break his media ban this time round was never getting off the ground. South Sydney have been telling reporters all year to try their luck, ask for a comment or two, in 2026. Again, the reality is fans don’t care. And the media, both in rugby league and wider still, will make do. Whatever Mitchell does throughout the build-up, never mind the actual 80 minutes of Origin I, is like catnip in a never-sleeping, endlessly clicking, scrolling and commenting landscape anyway. Even if rugby league’s human headline refuses to speak. NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.