The club last year sent him to America to work with Bill Knowles in his comeback from hamstring injuries and recently added Mitchell’s personal physiotherapist to the books.

Video footage of Mitchell downing a can of beer on stage with American country music singer Luke Combs last week hasn’t gone down well with certain teammates and staff who are walking on eggshells around the enigmatic fullback in fear of upsetting him.

It has left Demetriou and the club at a crossroads in terms of their approach to dealing with Mitchell.

Concerns over the video of Mitchell drinking on stage with Combs were exacerbated by the fullback’s sub-par performance against Newcastle four days later,in which he was sin-binned and subsequently rubbed out of next week’s do-or-die showdown against the Sydney Roosters for anelbow to the back of Tyson Frizell.

Multiple sources talking on the condition of anonymity to protect their identity told theHerald that Mitchell and Walker hold so much power at the club that they aren’t held to the same standards as their teammates.

Those with knowledge of the situation say that Demetriou has tried to create a similar environment to the one fostered by former coach Wayne Bennett but isn’t being afforded the same level of respect given the sense of entitlement that has been allowed to fester.

Demetriou told theHerald on Monday afternoon he was aware of rumblings but declined to comment about the accusations of double standards.

“I understand why people are talking,” Demetriou said. “It’s because we’re not winning. My job is to get us winning the next game. We’re not winning games and I’m at the coal front. It comes with the job.”

Demetriou also upset some players by liking a comment on a post on South Sydney’s Instagram page after the club’s loss to the Raiders in round 13.

The post Demetriou liked said:“We had @liam_knight and @hostyyy playing for us tonight. It’s a wonder we didn’t lose by 50 having those clowns pretending to be first graders.”

A source with links to South Sydney said that Walker would sometimes walk out on training sessions if he didn’t get things his way. It has never been raised as an issue previously given the team has performed to a high standard for a long period of time,but it’s now coming to the surface.

Tension within the squad became an issue after Demetriou heatedly addressed the group following their round 12 loss to Parramatta at Allianz Stadium.

Demetriou also denied that he and Walker have fallen out after he attempted to hold the five-eighth to account following the team’s unconvincing win over wooden spoon favourites the Wests Tigers in Tamworth a month ago.

The manager of Mitchell and Walker was contacted for comment.

The club is yet to announce it,but Demetriou has agreed to terms with the Rabbitohs on a three-year extension to keep him at the club until the end of 2026.

A rugby league source who was unable to speak publicly due to concerns around confidentiality recently told theHerald that a high-level South Sydney identity had reached out to Bennett to gauge his interest in returning to the club he led to a grand final and two preliminary finals in his three seasons at the club.

South Sydney chairman Nick Pappas,chief executive Blake Solly,co-owner Russell Crowe and Bennett all denied any knowledge of a potential approach when contacted for comment.

Solly,like Demetriou,is aware of some discontent within the ranks but chose not to address the specific accusations.

“We understand the scrutiny,” Solly said. “Results over the last couple of months haven’t been what we want. We have an important two weeks to prepare for the game against the Roosters and our full focus is on winning that game and securing a finals berth.”

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