James Tedesco in brutal Blues admission ahead of Origin Game II

Blues captain James Tedesco felt his Game I performance let his friends and family down as the state's premier fullback looks to bounce back in Game II up at Suncorp. Tedesco was one of the most heavily scrutinised players from Game I with fans questioning whether the Roosters fullback still had it after his nightmare performance.

Tedesco has been a brilliant Blues captain and one of the game's greats, but the omnipresent fullback appeared to have loss a yard of pace and his cutting edge leading into Game I. Two telling moments of his performance involved Maroons tries. The first saw Selwyn Cobbo shrug Tedesco off with ease after a lacklustre tackle to stop a try.

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And the defining moment was when Tabuai-Fidow left Tedesco eating dirt to all but seal the game for the Maroons. However, Blues selector Greg Alexander was one to defend the fullback and dismiss the criticism.

Tedesco bounced back the following week for the Roosters and produced one of his best performances this year. And the Kangaroos and Blues fullback has admitted his Game I showing was a real let down on a number of fronts.

“For me, I felt like I let a lot of people down,” Tedesco admitted ahead of Game II next Wednesday. "It wasn’t about media or random people telling me how I played, because those opinions aren’t very important to me. I felt like I let friends and family down who were really excited for me to play well, and I could feel that disappointment.

“I just wanted to have a couple of days to myself to let that disappointment sink in and then move on. I got to play for the Roosters a few days later and I was happy. I think I got back to having fun, and I was probably guilty of carrying all that expectation on my shoulders, which doesn’t work for my game.

“I need to be light and clear in my mind, and that’s something I’ve been working on. I don’t want to carry any of that into this camp because I’ve learnt my lessons and I’m just excited for next week.”

Tedesco played his 20th game of Origin for the Blues in Adelaide, which saw him climb into the Top 10 for most appearances for his state.

Latrell Mitchell ruled out of Origin Game II

Unfortunately fort the Blues, Brad Fittler and co were dealt some bad news when Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell ruled himself out again for the must-win clash. Mitchell - who missed Game I with a calf injury - was one of a number of Blues stars battling injury concerns, with teammates Liam Martin (concussion) and Cameron Murray (groin strain) tracking well to take their place in the crunch showdown at Suncorp Stadium.

The same can't be said about Mitchell, who was a no-show at the Blues' whole squad media day in Coogee on Wednesday. The NSW centre instead spent the afternoon being treated and in consultation with the club physiotherapists.

But, on Thursday afternoon, it was announced Mitchell wouldn't take part in Game II having failed to recover from the injury.

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