Darren Lockyer has warned the Maroons to be “nervous” about Latrell Mitchell returning to the New South Wales team for Origin II.
Mitchell will line up at centre for the Blues for the first time since game three of the 2021 series.
Despite being one of the best centres in rugby league for a number of years, Mitchell’s Origin career has been bizarrely stop-start.
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He’s played only seven games for the Blues, and was named last year before a calf injury ended his series before it began.
Now he’s back – replacing the suspended Joseph Suaalii – and Queensland is on notice.
“They’ve got some definite x-factor just in one player now, whereas I thought the first game what they chose was all about getting into an arm wrestle and trying to win that battle of attrition,” Lockyer said on Wide World of Sports’ QLDER of Mitchell.
“Someone like Latrell brings that nervousness that he can bring something that we can’t stop.”
The job of stopping Mitchell will be given to Valentine Holmes, who is expected to line up opposite the Blues wrecking ball in Melbourne next week.
Queensland legend Wally Lewis has some advice on how to limit his impact.
”Just try to deny him time and space,” Lewis told QLDER.
“He’s a powerful ball carrier, he’s a wonderful performer. I don’t think he’s at the peak of his fitness at the moment… (but) we’re going to see a wonderful effort from him to prove to the NSW selectors ‘you should have picked me for game one’.
“He’s got enormous talent… he’s going to want to prove to the selectors they were incorrect in leaving him out.”
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Both Lockyer and Lewis agree the NSW team for game two looks more lethal than it was for game one.
Rookie Blues coach Michael Maguire made five changes to the line-up that lost Origin I in Sydney.
Alongside Mitchell’s inclusion is the likes of Cameron Murray at lock and debutant Connor Watson as the bench utility.
“This is a much better NSW team,” Lewis said.
“Probably expected to see a couple of those names in game one for NSW.
“They’ve got the experience to be able to do it and they’ve got the creditability to be able to do it.”
Mitchell Moses also comes in to replace Nicho Hynes at halfback for the Blues.
Hynes struggled to create scoring opportunities in game one, and couldn’t get his kicking game to stick.
“Nicho’s kicking in game one was not where it needed to be,” Lockyer said.
“But Mitchell’s (Moses’), that’s why he is chosen there, for his kicking game, and especially for his long kicking game.”
The Blues will look to square the series at the MCG on Wednesday week.