Latrell Mitchell has been ruled out of State of Origin 2, with Wayne Bennett saying South Sydney are now not expecting him back until Round 17 at the earliest. The call removes Mitchell from NSW selection for the June interstate clash and pushes his club return further back than Souths had first hoped.
The timing matters because Mitchell had been viewed as a possible Origin 2 option if he got through to the field in Round 14. Instead, Bennett said bluntly that he will not be picked in Origin and will not return until Souths play Parramatta after Origin 2, leaving the Blues to build their squad without him again after he missed Origin 1 for NSW.
Mitchell’s back problem has lingered since Round 9, when he injured it against Newcastle. He returned in Round 11 after a week off, but then aggravated a bulging disk issue against the Dolphins, a setback that has kept him on the sideline ever since. Bennett tried to steady the picture by saying his back is no worse, only slower to rehab than hoped, but the timeline has still slipped from next week to the back end of the month.
That leaves South Sydney watching the calendar as much as the medical report. Mitchell is now targeting a Round 17 return against Parramatta, but that is only a target, not a guarantee, and it comes after a period in which the club had been hopeful he might be available in Round 14. The drift in dates has also made him the second NSW player ruled out of Origin 2, after Blayke Brailey broke his arm on Friday night and was ruled out as well.
For NSW, the Mitchell decision comes as selection talks tighten ahead of Origin 2, with Mitch Moses expected to be named for Parramatta next weekend before the match and other pieces still shifting around the squad. For Souths, the immediate question is whether Mitchell is actually fit enough to face Parramatta in Round 17, or whether that target will move again before he gets back on the field.
