Ok I followed some advice on another guide and for anyone having trouble you can remove the screws holding the superdrive in to the plastic bracket and then easily remove it. Cheers!

The latch on my optical drive does not release no matter how much it is depressed. The latch further from the motherboard released with ease. I am stuck and afraid of damaging the drive or connector if I apply any more force. Does anyone have any tips on how to proceed? I have looked at iMac G5 17" Model A1144 Optical Drive Replacement and used a spudger to no avail.