Sydney Roosters youngster Latrell Mitchell has welcomed the club's big-money signing of James Tedesco, but still has his sights set on being an NRL fullback.
Mitchell was considered the Roosters' fullback-in-waiting following his breakout rookie season last year, however was shifted in favour of veteran Michael Gordon over the summer.
The 19-year-old was then dropped to reserve grade after the club's round six defeat to Brisbane, raising questions about his future at Bondi Junction.
That speculation intensified when the club lured Tedesco on a three-year deal last week, but Mitchell held no ill-feeling towards the club's recruitment of the incumbent NSW State of Origin No.1.
"He's going to come and he's going to add his fire to the team. I'm pretty excited for him to come and have a dig. Hopefully he can do what he does at the Tigers here," Mitchell said.
"I'll always be a fullback by heart and hopefully I get that crack to be back there but I'm enjoying centre, learning that defensive side of things. I'm pretty comfortable where I am."
Making his first NRL appearance since his demotion to NSW Cup, Mitchell turned in a busy effort in the Roosters' 48-10 win over Parramatta on Sunday.
He scored the opening try and played a hand in two others before finishing the night with 93 metres, five tackle breaks, three offloads and no missed tackles.
"It's been a few ups and downs in the last three weeks. I was pretty happy to get back on the field and play some footy with the boys," Mitchell said.
"It didn't get to the point where I wanted to quit footy. I've never experienced being dropped. To be able to go through that and come out strong, I don't want to go through that again."
Robinson described Mitchell's performance against the Eels as "complete", before lashing out at rumours he was on the outer at the club.
Some reports linked Mitchell with a move to neighbourhood rivals South Sydney.
"It was pretty ridiculous there for a while actually... We understood how we wanted him to play and what he's capable of. He just needed a couple of weeks off," Robinson said.
"He played some good reserve grade games, came back in and played really well tonight.
"We try and create a story out of it, about why and what's going to happen and all that. The guy played well tonight, deserved it, played bloody well.
"He earned it through training and hard work and that's what this week will be about again."
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