The prospect of a fit Smith, Mitchell and Cody Walker combining in the spine will give Souths plenty of firepower in the back half of the year.

As for playing with Mitchell rather than against him, Smith said: “I have lot of time for Latrell. He’s misunderstood in the media. I know the real Latrell and what he brings. He’s a match-winner. Hopefully he brings the best out of me, and I can bring the best out of him.”

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Bennett recently said of Smith: “We have a few big personalities here, so he won’t be out of place.

“I’m sure they’ll get along well. We’ll make that happen. He’ll be wanted here. We’ll welcome him with open arms.”

Should Souths defeat the Wests Tigers on Sunday evening, they’ll enter next week’s bye round with a 6-5 record, an amazing effort considering the injuries they have had to start the year.

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