Latrell Mitchell is adamant he does not need to rein in his aggression with the South Sydney star approved to return a week early from his NRL ban.
Mitchell was handed an early win on Tuesday, cleared to return in round two against Melbourne after the NRL judiciary agreed his All Stars absence could count towards last year's six-game ban.
The rule works in the same way players are able to have State of Origin matches count towards bans, if the judiciary chairman agrees players would have featured in the game if not suspended.
The news came on the same day Souths confirmed Mitchell would not play in Saturday's Charity Shield, with Blake Taafe wearing No.1 and the regular fullback happy with that call.
Mitchell's high shot on Roosters centre and close friend Joey Manu was one of the headlines of 2021, ending his season early with his fourth charge of the year.
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.
And Mitchell was on Tuesday adamant there is no reason for him to change.
"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."
