It has been revealed that South Sydney Rabbitohs star fullback played through Saturday night's preliminary final loss with the Penrith Panthers despite a rib cartilage injury.
Mitchell was unusually quiet throughout the game - which was a rematch of last year's grand finalists.
The fullback missed that game last year as well through suspension, with questions lingering ever since over whether the men from Redfern would have taken out the premiership had Mitchell been fit for the deciding match of the season.
The Daily Telegraph has revealed that Mitchell needed pain killing injections to take on the Panthers, while Jai Arrow also needed injections to play.
Campbell Graham, on the other hand, continued a string of matches where he played through the pain barrier with broken ribs, having been nursing the injury since the start of the finals series.
“The players were extremely brave on Saturday night, just as they have been over the last two months. Campbell ), Latrell and Jai all carried injuries into the game, and the team showed a lot of character to play so well given the injuries and players unavailable. I hope our fans and Members are as proud of the players and coaching staff as we are today," club SEO Blake Solly said.
It's now unclear whether Mitchell could be the latest Australian Kangaroos candidate to miss out on the World Cup thanks to injury.
While others have committed to other nations, Mal Meninga is beginning to look light on for depth as he selects his side next week and Mitchell, who will be a walk up starter at centre as he is for the New South Wales Blues, would be something of a hammer blow should he miss out.
Rib cartilage injuries are generally not ones that require a long recovery, however, the tournament is due to start in under a month and will also involve a long flight to England.
