South Sydney football manager Mark Ellison has thrown his support behind Latrell Mitchell, rejecting any suggestion he is a dirty player following his four-game ban. Mitchell's on-field behaviour was brought into question over the weekend, with the superstar fullback charged for three separate incidents in the Rabbitohs win over Wests Tigers. A dangerous contact charge for a late hit on David Nofoaluma after he kicked proved the most costly, rubbing Mitchell out for four games and ruling him out of the Dally M race. Ellison sat beside a frustrated Mitchell throughout his 50-minute judiciary hearing on Tuesday night, as the Souths star failed in his bid to have the ban downgraded to one game. While Mitchell did not speak to awaiting reporters as he left the judiciary hearing, Ellison defended the 23-year-old's on-field record. "I don't think he is (a dirty player)," Ellison said. "I think he was caught by circumstances in this incident. It's bad luck for him and the outcome. "We're obviously disappointed with the result. We came in hoping for a downgrade and didn't get it." Mitchell's main defence in the case centred around a claim he was trying to avoid contact with Nofoaluma when his forearm collided with his opponent's head on Saturday night.
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