Mitchell cuts short Blues training session as Haas returns from ankle sprain
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NSW assistant coach Paul McGregor insisted there was no problem with Latrell Mitchell after the superstar centre sat out the final minutes of Blues training just three days before the State of Origin series opener.
On the same day Payne Haas trained strongly after rolling his ankle at training on Friday, Mitchell was seen consulting support staff in the final moments of a crucial session on Sunday evening.
He then returned for the Blues’ obligatory huddle at the end of the session and then fronted the media shortly afterwards, where he denied he was hampered by an injury. Stephen Crichton filled in at left centre for the rest of the session.
Asked if there was any injury, Mitchell said: “No, I thought I’d give Nicho [Hynes] and Critta [Stephen Crichton] a run out there. I was a bit cold.”
Said McGregor: “I just looked at him and he’s got no ice. We’ve been swapping players in and out. The session was finished and we’re doing a bit of kick-catch and he just stopped. For me, he’s alright. I didn’t see anything major. Everyone’s got an issue at this time of year. We’re 12 weeks in.”
The inclusion of Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic for their first Origin series in two years looms as NSW’s biggest weapon in wresting back Origin supremacy from Queensland, and the South Sydney ace is set to start a new Origin feud with Valentine Holmes, who will oppose him on Wednesday night.
Latrell Mitchell cut short a training session on Sunday evening.Credit: Jessica Hromas
There was good news on Haas, with the Blues enforcer joining his teammates for the entire session when players returned to camp on Sunday.
Haas rolled his ankle during a workout at Coogee on Friday, and there were concerns he might have had to wait until the captain’s run to prove his fitness having been laid up with ice over the weekend. But he was moving freely under the lights at Accor Stadium.
“Payne’s fine,” McGregor said. “He did the full session and he did a bit of contact. He actually trod on someone and there was no contact involved. It was a rolled ankle. There was no contact at all.”
The Blues can ill afford to lose a forward of Haas’ calibre with Fittler planning to start Haas in the front row alongside close mate and Origin debutant Tevita Pangai jnr, with Junior Paulo slated to come off the bench.
“It was a bit of a scare, but I thought it was a bit of a carry-on from him,” Paulo said. “We knew he was going to be all right, he just had to ice up. One day makes a difference when you’ve just got to rest up and recover.
“It’s good to have him back. It looks like nothing was every wrong with him, the way he was running around today.”
The Blues will travel to Adelaide on Monday to finalise preparations for game one.
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