Latrell Mitchell appeared to pilot a select number of nervous Indigenous passengers to meet the Palm Island mob on a day off from their All Stars camp duties.
The Biripi, Wiradjuri, Worimi and Gumbaynggirr man was handed the control wheel – the yoke for reference – of the small plane, much to the horror on J'maine Hopgood's face sitting behind, for part of the 60-kilometre flight from Townsville.
"On the way over, I am pretty sure he took control of the plane," Indigenous All Stars coach Ronnie Griffiths confirmed, bellowing out full of laughter.
"He was certainly sitting in the cockpit, that's for sure."
Then not long after, Griffiths gave Captain Mitchell the nod to pilot the Indigenous All Stars on Friday night home to victory against the Maori All Stars.
The 26-year-old is the sixth man to lead the team out onto in the 14th All-Stars matches after South Sydney teammate Cody Walker was a late withdrawal with a calf injury.
Mitchell has only ever captained the Rabbitohs twice, both times standing in during the 2022 NRL season.
The cultural clash will be his first experience leading the Indigenous lineup, but the coach, son of legendary grassroots coach in the local Newcastle clubs and renowned Aboriginal activist, Rick Griffiths, knows a leader of men for the right job.
"Latrell is just a pillar in our community – his work away from the limelight is very much unheralded," Griffiths said.
"(He's a) magical player, who will go to the nth degree to make sure the All Stars camp is a success and leave a lasting impact in community."
Mitchell did not need another reason to conjure up a smile for rugby league-obsessed kids on Palm Island, a community that had been in the headlines in past years for the wrong reasons.
Two decades ago, riots on the island lead to police raids and a state of emergency declared after controversial accusations that local residents were out of control.
But life has proven to be relatively stable and harmonious in the years that have followed after initially spurning distrust with authority including police.
"It was a magnificent experience because the boys got to go over there and learn a bit more about their culture," Griffiths added about the day trip.
The moment their NRL heroes arrived at Palm Island for a cultural and education visit the locals gravitated to their heroes.
"The thing is it's good to just see kids because I remember seeing NRL stars show up when I was a kid too, and it's definitely a big eye opener," Mitchell said.
The star fullback, one of three in the final lineup that could claim that tag, said the All Stars competition against the Maori and an opportunity to lead his teammates "means everything".
"To lead my people is an honour that I don't take lightly both on and off the field," he said.
"This week we celebrate our culture and get to go and express that in front of a whole nation.
"This is much more than a game to us – I feel content.
"I feel like a lot of things are going right and it has been really good to come into this camp and express who I am and fill the cup up for the rest of the year."
