New South Wales Blues coach Brad Fittler has revealed three players likely to replace injured South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell at left centre.
Suffering a hamstring tear that was worse than first thought in the Rabbitohs' win over the St George Illawarra Dragons on Saturday evening, Mitchell is set for an eight-week stint on the sideline.
Eight weeks from Saturday is June 4th, meaning Mitchell would be racing the clock at best, but likely unavailable for selection in Game 1 of the Origin series on June 8th. Scoring a try in all three games in 2021, Mitchell averaged 150 metres and five tackle breaks per game, completely dominating the QLD Maroons' right edge.
While he undoubtedly leaves huge shoes to fill, Fittler has revealed to 9 News three stars in the running to replace the Rabbitohs' star along with his reasoning behind them.
โMost centres these days play left or right, so they get in those habits," Fittler said.
โThe ones at the moment who are playing on the left-hand side are Bradman Best, whoโs been in the junior system a long time; Stephen Crichton, who can play left... and Matt Burton is another one.
While Campbell Graham and Kotoni Staggs seem like names that should be in the mix, Fittlers' reasoning is sound.
While he's preparing for the worst, the Blues coach hasn't given up hope for the best-case scenario.
โJust knowing how much it meant to Latrell last year to get back in the team, and how well he performed, Iโm holding out that eight weeks might turn into six weeks," Fittler said.
โEvery player is different, we treat every player different.
โWe picked Tom Trbojevic a couple of years ago... he came back (from injury) for one game, and he did so well we brought him into the team and he was excellent.
โJust sit back and weโll see what happens with Latrell.
While any name he mentioned has their own claim to the title, Stephen Crichton is the name that stands out.
Crichton has verified himself as a big-game player, elevating his play in the big games against the Parramatta Eels, Melbourne Storm and South Sydney Rabbitohs last season, not to mention his grand final-winning intercept try.
With seven rounds to play and more than a handful of representative-level centres to choose from, the decision is far from made. There is plenty of time for any one of them to prove their worth.
