Mitchell to miss Origin I with hamstring injury

Author: Stuart Honeysett
Timestamp: Sun 10 Apr 2022, 11:55 AM

South Sydney Rabbitohs have confirmed that star fullback Latrell Mitchell will miss eight weeks with a torn hamstring ruling him out of the opening game of the Ampol State of Origin series.

The Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues centre scored a try in the opening exchanges against St George Illawarra at Accor Stadium on Saturday night before being forced to leave the field after 14 minutes following a tackle from Dragons prop Aaron Woods.

Mitchell was sent for scans on Sunday to determine the extent of the damage and Rabbitohs head physiotherapist Eddie Farah confirmed the bad news yesterday.

Mitchell is not expected back until Round 13 with Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler to pick his squad for the Origin opener after Round 12, which concludes on Sunday 29 May. Game One will be played at Accor Stadium on Wednesday 8 June.

“As everyone from our game would have seen on the weekend unfortunately Latrell Mitchell was unable to complete the game,” Farah told rabbitohs.com.au.

“He went down with a hamstring injury; reported feeling a pull or a grab in his hamstring and was unable to finish the game.

“Unfortunately, the MRI scan he had the next day confirmed what we expected; there was a definite tear in the hamstring, and the tear was located in the tendon, rather than the muscle.

“What that means is that recovery is going to be a lot slower, so the tendon will heal slower than a muscle strain.

“At this stage we’re expecting Latrell to be out for eight weeks.”

Mitchell was one of the stars for the Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues last season, crossing for four tries, running for 452 metres and taking home the True Blue Award for displaying the qualities on which the team ethos is built.

It is the second time he has suffered a serious hamstring injury. In 2020, his season was cut short after he ruptured a hamstring tendon in the Round 16 clash against Parramatta Eels in August.

He missed out on the Rabbitohs finals charge and was unable to be selected for NSW for the end-of-season State of Origin series, which had been moved to November due to the COVID-19 pandemic.