South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell is adamant he does not need to rein in his aggression when he returns from a NRL suspension.
Mitchell is unlikely to play in Saturday night's Charity Shield against St George Illawarra as Souths named Blake Taafe at No.1 to prepare for round one.
The regular fullback is happy with that call, confident he does not need game time ahead of his comeback against the Sydney Roosters on March 25.
Mitchell insists he doesn't need to change his game, with the 24-year-old motivated for a huge season after the disappointment of missing last year's finals.
Mitchell's ban for his high shot on Roosters centre and close friend Joey Manu was elongated by previous offences, with that hit making for his fourth charge in 2021 and a total of 10 weeks sidelined.
Two of those came in similar fashion, with Mitchell also copping a long ban when he rushed across field and collected Wests Tigers' David Nofoaluma high earlier in the season.
The Manu incident prompted calls for Mitchell to change his style or else face more bans, but Rabbitohs players have long said they want the fullback's aggression to stay.
"I'll keep playing the way I do," Mitchell told AAP.
"I don't see why I have to. It's the game of rugby league, I entertain. I sell tickets, so that's what I aim to do.
"You can have 10 good things, and in a split second you can do one thing wrong. But that's how the game is."
Mitchell spent part of the off-season on his farm near Taree, where he has around 40 head of cattle and jokes about becoming a cowboy.
It's part of a more balanced Mitchell which has emerged in recent years, also having his eyes opened by last week's trip to Cairns and Yarrabah Country for Souths' trial against North Queensland.
But behind him, the fullback's long bans also prompted calls for a review of the NRL judiciary system, with the Rabbitohs in particular frustrated by the impact of weighting of penalties.
Under current rules, players are slugged with a 50 per cent loading on any charge if they have committed a similar offence in the past two years, or 20 per cent for non-similar charges.
Without loading, Mitchell could have escaped with a three-game ban for his shot on Manu, making him available for the grand final against Penrith.
"The process is a bit unfair, but I don't really want to comment on that," Mitchell said.
"It's just how the game is and I have got over it. We'll leave it in the back pocket, it's a bit of fuel.
"I don't want to comment (more) on that, that is (for) the NRL.
"They have to take it on board and have accountability for what is going on. I have to keep playing the game and keep entertaining."
