The South Sydney Rabbitohs will be without Latrell Mitchell this weekend, but in a major boost to the club, any chance of a long layoff for the star centre has been squashed.
Mitchell, who has become one of the game's most dangerous players in the centres this year after his move from fullback, was ruled out of the game against the Sharks on Saturday with a back injury, with the news breaking on Thursday when he mysteriously vanished from the official team list.
It has now been revealed Mitchell is dealing with a bulging disk, but at most, will only miss another week and will most certainly be fit for the State of Origin opener on May 27, with Laurie Daley almost certain to select the star.
“No, I don't think he will be in doubt,” head coach Wayne Bennett said on Friday.
“He's got some treatment for it. He's reacted pretty well to it all, so hopefully, we might have him back next week.
“But if not, he'll certainly be right for New South Wales. State of Origin is two and a half weeks away at least, so he'll certainly be right by then.”
The news is a major boost to the Blues who will already start the series without prop Payne Haas, and to the Rabbitohs where Mitchell has been in tremendous form to start 2026, sitting as the game's leading point-scorer to date.
The Rabbitohs too are flying despite their loss in the Hunter to the Newcastle Knights last weekend, where Mitchell played through the second half in discomfort, according to Bennett, who was less than pleased with the way Mitchell's injury news broke on Thursday.
It's understood the NRL told the Rabbitohs that they would make the change on their website once approval of Latrell Siegwalt - who needs dispensation to play - had been granted.
That saw the NRL break the news over 24 hours before teams were due to be chopped at 5:30pm (AEST) on Friday afternoon, and Bennett was less than impressed.
”The NRL aren't great at holding secrets,” Bennett said.
“I think it's the club's responsibility to nominate their players and when they're in the team or out of the team. I don't think it is an NRL decision.”
