Lachlan Mitchell may not have believed he would fulfil his childhood dream of becoming a professional rugby player until he did it, but the foundation player for Australia’s youngest Super Rugby team is satisfied with what he achieved in the time he was there.
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The Melbourne Rebels have been busy in recent weeks announcing a string of signings for next season, but on Saturday the club released the list of players who have not made the cut, with Mitchell the most established of the group that also included prop Eddie Aholelei, utility back Angus Roberts and winger Alex Rokobaro.
Mitchell has played 50 games for the Rebels since the inaugural season in 2011, but he has been sidelined most of this year by a knee injury.
The utility back said he was disappointed that he had not been offered a new contact by the Rebels, but was not bitter at the decision. The club has recruited the likes of Cam Crawford and Dom Shipperley, who broke his ankle playing for Queensland during Friday night’s clash against the Rebels, to further strengthen a solid backline.
"(Rebels coach) Tony (McGahan) was pretty upfront, which I appreciated," Mitchell said.
"He basically said it was a tough decision and just with the talent that they had available, guys like Shipperley and Crawford ... they didn’t say this but I’m just (surmising), they wanted to try new things and I totally respect that."
The artistic 26-year-old-said he had chosen to retire – although he may reconsider returning to the game – and concentrate on building a life after rugby rather than playing for a club that he was not excited about, even though he had received some interest from overseas clubs.
"I’m quite a passionate guy and I’d rather play for a team that I believe in – and that just didn’t come up this time," Mitchell said.
Mitchell, who paints "for fun", was the first Rebels player to reach 50 games for the club – a tally that also included the clash against the British and Irish Lions last year – but has spent this year looking for a post-career direction. He said he was considering studying business marketing.
"I’ve always thought about what I’d do after rugby," Mitchell said.
"I do love playing though, so – like any player – you could keep playing but ... the rugby career is such a short part of your life. I’ve had a good time with what I’ve done. I probably haven’t achieved as much as other players, but at the same time I think I’ve done well for me and I’ve enjoyed it and I’ve got a lot out of it.
"Probably, like most players, there are times when you are feeling extremely confident and you think that you can conquer the world, and there are other times you are probably a bit down and you think you’re lucky to have even been where you’ve been."
The Rebels, who suffered their third bad loss in a row when they were beaten 36-20 by Queensland on Friday night, finish their Super Rugby season with two games in South Africa against the Lions and the Bulls.
Five-eighth Bryce Hegarty said they were desperate to add another two wins to their season tally of four which has them anchoring the Australian conference ladder.
"Every team goes through a rough patch," Hegarty said.
"There will always be doubters, but we will keep moving forward."
With aap
