'He'll be a distraction': Latrell Mitchell's Origin truth bomb
Respected NRL commentator and former NSW coach Phil Gould has made a stunning call on Latrell Mitchell's State of Origin II prospects.
Mitchell had a poor game by his own lofty standards as the Blues went down to the Maroons 18-14 in Brisbane's Origin opener.
Much was made of the flashy centre's state of mind leading into the match, with his club the Sydney Roosters giving the 21-year-old time off after the match to return to his family in Taree, on the NSW Mid North Coast.
Mitchell took no part in the Roosters' third straight defeat as the depleted defending premiers crashed to Penrith 19-10 on Sunday.
Gould insists that if Mitchell can't prove that he's in the right frame of mind for Origin, then Blues coach Brad Fittler needs to seriously consider replacing him.
“The media is going to be talking about it all week. You don’t need the distraction," Gould told Channel 9’s 100% Footy.
“I don’t think NSW can win without him, but the question is: Will he be a distraction or will he be an asset?
“In his current frame of mind and doing what he’s doing right at the moment, not a month ago against the Wests Tigers, he’ll be a distraction.
“He and the Roosters need to come to the Origin coach and say: ‘We’ve sorted this. This is what needs to be done. He’ll be ready.’ Once he does that, then you pick him and you get on with life.
“If they can’t do that, then Freddy’s got to move on and get on with something else, otherwise this is going to distract everyone.”
Mitchell was heavily criticised for a quiet showing in Brisbane, which included a critical second-half sin-binning for a professional foul.
It prompted Blues coach Brad Fittler to question Mitchell's motivation levels, and even claim that the Roosters were unhappy with one of their key backs.
Robinson revealed he called Fittler to address his dissatisfaction with the comments.
At the start of May, Mitchell was earning plaudits of the highest order after almost single-handedly destroying the Wests Tigers in a 42-12 rout for the Sydney Roosters.
Fast forward four weeks and Mitchell, so dominant for NSW in 2018, had a match to forget at Suncorp Stadium.
The 21-year-old barely fired a shot against his sparring partner from last year Will Chambers.
While the Maroons' centre finished the night with 118 running metres and 18 tackles, Mitchell could only post 10 tackles and 72 metres.
Mitchell's night was compounded in the 58th minute when he smashed into Queensland's Matt Gillett as the back-rower charged through to a Cameron Munster grubber, taking the Maroon out before he'd managed to get onto the ball with a try looming.
Sin-binned for his offence, Mitchell endured a jog off the pitch as jeers rained down from the stands.
"I was a bit sick because I know I let the boys down a little bit, I knew they had to work a bit harder with one less man," Mitchell said after the game.
"It's pretty disappointing on my behalf because I know I should have got there a bit quicker. I just didn't want to hesitate on my decision."
The centre is expected to make his return for the Roosters' crucial clash with the Bulldogs over the weekend and Gould suggests the centre's Origin hopes could hinge on how he performs.
“It’s not up to the Origin squad or the Origin camp to fix what’s going on with Latrell Mitchell. This is his club that’s got to sort this out.”
With AAP
