Latrell Mitchell made a successful return from his latest hamstring blow but moved quickly to rule himself out of State of Origin III.
Mitchell will not feature in the Origin decider, set to be played in Brisbane on July 13, making it clear after South Sydney’s 30-12 win over Parramatta on Saturday night that he would not return for the finale.
It means New South Wales rookies Matt Burton and Stephen Crichton will likely retain their positions in the centres as the Blues aim to win back-to-back series against the Maroons. Jack Wighton is the only genuine contender to unseat one of them, after a positive COVID-19 result wiped him from game two.
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“I think I’m going to shut down the headlines now,” Mitchell told Fox League.
“I’m going to pull myself out and worry about Souths, focus on myself.
“They’ve got a really good team there at NSW. Good luck to Burton in the centres, and give Crichton a go, too. Let him have a go, let him bleed in.
“I just really want to focus on South Sydney and myself, and get myself right for the back end of the season.”
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The Rabbitohs’ comprehensive win over the Eels at Homebush marked Mitchell’s first game since round five.
He played 80 minutes and made 16 runs for 142 metres.
Migchell’s second major hamstring injury led to South Sydney flying him to the USA to have the problem addressed.
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Queensland Origin great Cooper Cronk described Mitchell’s decision to withdraw from the selection battle as “a very selfless act”, which Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou echoed.
“Yeah, I think it’s huge. You know, he’s very committed … I think it’s just been respectful to the Blues team, as well, that they played last week and did a great job,” Demetriou said in his post-game press conference.
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“I’ll let him have those conversations with Freddy.
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“Just excited to have him back in a red and green jumper and looking forward to the back end of the year.
“Now, I’m not in a position to tell anybody they can’t play Origin. That’s not what I do. That’s up to the player … I’m not somebody who’s gonna say you can’t play for the Blues. That’s up to him and only him, and he’s done a lot of work to get himself in this position.
“He knows what he’s capable of doing and he’s a big boy. He makes his own decisions.”
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