South Sydney Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell will be at Olympic Park on Wednesday evening, but he won't be watching the Matildas; instead, he will be singing along at the Luke Combs concert right next door.
While more than 70,000 fans will be cheering the Matildas on at Stadium Australia, Latrell be less than 500 metres away enjoying the Luke Combs concert next door at Qudos Bank Arena.
However, despite not watching the game live, Mitchell will still be supporting the Matildas, especially Chelsea superstar forward Sam Kerr, who has recently gone through a rigorous recovery from injury just like Mitchell.
Mitchell, along with the rest of the team, watched Australia's quarter-final over France in their hotel, which saw them advance to the semi-final and one win away from a World Cup Final berth. Taking on England on Wednesday night, forwards Thomas Burgess and Jai Arrow have made a bet to wear the rival's jersey to training on Thursday if their country loses, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I hope Sam Kerr gets out there and kills it, but I won't be watching – I love Luke Combs too much,” Mitchell told the publication.
“There are the different stages [with recovery], there's all the media hype with the injury, and it's a lonely road in the rehab room,
“It all becomes about your mindset. Sam is very strong with what she does, and it's why she's got back to the way she has.”
A big fan of Luke Combs, the Herald revealed that he had been granted VIP tickets which will see him in the backstage area of Qudos Bank Arena with singer Luke Combs. Combs, one of the most successful country music singers as of late, earnt the admiration of Mitchell back in 2016 when Mitchell's father, Matt, introduced him to the music.
Since that day, Mitchell has been a big fan of Combs, a revelation that came knowledgable to most fans when he let it slip at a press conference in the 2022 finals series. Last week, former teammate Adam Reynolds was in attendance for the Combs concert in Queensland and posted pictures with the country singer.
“But where did Reyno grow up? Redfern? They wear cowboy hats around there, do they?” Mitchell added.
“A lot of his songs resonate with me, and I've found peace with his songs.
“I remember staying up to 2am before a game trying to get tickets. I missed out, but now the stars have aligned.”