Latrell Mitchell, the South Sydney star, has been given the all-clear to participate in Origin I, with NSW Blues officials confirming that he will follow a modified training program to manage his back pain. This comes after a concerning moment during the match against the Dolphins on Friday night, where Mitchell was forced off the field due to discomfort.
The powerful centre displayed visible signs of pain following a few carries in the second half, prompting the Souths trainers to take no further risks and remove him from the game. Despite this, coach Wayne Bennett expressed confidence in Mitchell’s readiness for the upcoming Origin clash on May 28. The Blues are set to announce their first team on Monday morning.
“If Latrell is fit to play Origin, I’m happy for him,” Bennett said. “He’s OK, he’s not too bad. It’s nothing major. There’s a 12-day turnaround, so I think he’ll be all right.”
Souths officials confirmed that Mitchell was sore on Saturday morning but remained in good spirits, with no concerns regarding his availability for Origin. He is not expected to undergo any new scans for the back injury he sustained against Newcastle a couple of weeks ago. Bennett revealed that Mitchell was almost in tears due to the pain at half-time against the Knights, despite coming out and making several strong runs over the top of Newcastle defenders.
The Blues will have their own medical staff assess Mitchell once he joins the camp on Monday. There is no intention to name an extra centre in the 20-man squad as a precaution for Mitchell. The 20th player will need to return to their club next weekend if they have a game.
The worst-case scenario would be if Mitchell’s back flares up during the game against Queensland. However, officials believe that with the right treatment and training regime, Mitchell will not be a greater injury risk than any other player.
Brisbane coach Michael Maguire, who previously coached the Blues, praised Mitchell’s ability to perform in big games. He also highlighted the presence of Kotoni Staggs, who is in excellent form and available for the Origin series. Staggs will miss Sunday’s clash against the Warriors due to suspension, but he is expected to be ready for the NSW team. While Mitchell has been dominant on the left, Staggs is considered the most effective right centre in the game.
“I think Kotoni has been excellent, and he’ll be ready to go, and to be honest, the rest [suspension] has helped him in some way because he’s been battling a bit of a foot injury as well,” Maguire said on Saturday. “Latrell is obviously a big player, but someone like Kotoni, they can come up with special plays – they’re the sort of players in Origin who are special.”
Mitchell was cleared to play in the Dolphins clash but was relieved of goal-kicking duties to reduce the strain on his back. The Blues received a boost when Cameron Murray was cleared of a cannonball tackle that could have jeopardized his return to NSW. Murray was placed on report for a hit on Dolphins forward Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, but the match review committee did not issue a charge.
In other Origin news, Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton scored a try but made a poor defensive decision against Cronulla. Like much of the Dogs squad, he is struggling with form and confidence. Backrower Jacob Preston managed to score a try in the first half but failed to make a significant impact on the left edge.
For the Sharks, Addin Fonua-Blake recorded 15 tough carries and played a crucial role in captaining Cronulla. Meanwhile, Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon is confident that a concussion suffered by Blayke Brailey will not ruin his chances of making the Origin team.
“If you play 139 [games] straight, you have a rough idea if he’s good enough,” Fitzgibbon said of Brailey.
