Latrell Mitchell NRL comeback from hamstring injury delayed with latest Covid setback

Latrell Mitchell is back on home soil – but no closer to returning to the field for South Sydney... or NSW.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 04: Latrell Mitchell of the Rabbitohs trains during a South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL training session at Redfern Oval on May 04, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Latrell Mitchell is set to be scratched from contention for the second State of Origin game after South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou confirmed his Covid-stricken star was next to no chance of being available for the Perth game.

Mitchell has been out since round five – the start of April – with hamstring and knee injuries, those issues preventing him playing for the Blues in the opening game of the series at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.

Now Demetriou has revealed Mitchell is highly unlikely to play again before the Blues sit down to pick their side for Origin II, which will be played on June 26 at Optus Stadium.

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Latrell Mitchell of the Rabbitohs walks off the field injured during the round five NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Accor Stadium, on April 09, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

The Rabbitohs play Gold Coast on Saturday night and then back up only five days later against St George Illawarra. Mitchell is expected to miss both games as the Rabbitohs take a cautious approach with their sidelined star.

“He is alright,” Demetriou said.

“To be honest, it is the best time for him if there is a good time to get it, rather than getting himself going again and then having to miss a week or two because he has Covid.

“We get to get some run in him before he plays his next game.”

Mitchell was among NSW’s best players in last year’s series win. Picture: Getty

Asked whether Mitchell would be ready for Origin II, Demetriou said: “I would say he would be next to no chance of playing Origin.

“He has done a lot of work to get the strength in his quad and get the work that he needed to do to get his running right.

“Which he has done. But he hasn’t done the work in terms of rugby league training. We have two games and then the bye so it is a good time for us to make sure we get him healthy first and foremost from Covid, and then back and fit to play at the back end of the year.

“For us and Latrell at the moment, the priority is to get him on the field playing for South Sydney. We’ll deal with that (Origin) when it happens.”

Latrell Mitchell went to the US to work with reconditioning coach Bill Knowles. Picture: Sunny Brar/South Sydney Rabbitohs

Mitchell returned from America late last week, having spent a fortnight in Philadelphia working with training guru Bill Knowles in an attempt to fast-track his comeback from injury.

Knowles lauded Mitchell’s athleticism and dedication but the strides he made in America were hampered on his arrival back in Australia after he tested positive to Covid-19 on Sunday.

Souths released a statement on Monday morning confirming that Mitchell has returned a positive test.

His return to training is expected to be pushed back a week as a result.

His unavailability for NSW is another blow to Blues coach Brad Fittler ahead of the series opener on Wednesday night. Fittler had hoped to have Mitchell back after his successful trip to America but those hopes now look forlorn.