NSW centre Latrell Mitchell has been ruled out of Origin II after succumbing to the calf injury that forced him to miss last month’s season opener at Adelaide Oval.
Bulldogs centreMatt Burton has again been called into the squad as 18th man, with Stephen Crichton replacing Mitchell at left centre, as he did in Origin I.
Mitchell was on a limited training program but did not complete Wednesday’s session and a decision was made to call up Crichton.
Sharks prop Royce Hunt faces an extended period on the sideline after rupturing his syndesmosis in a tackle that resulted in Storm prop Christian Welch receiving a one-match suspension.
Hunt will have ankle surgery on Tuesday and the club expects his return to field timeline to be around six weeks.
Meanwhile, Panthers forward Liam Martin may need NSW officials to allow him not to train before Origin II after suffering a head knock in Saturday night’s match against Sydney Roosters.
Martin, who was widely considered the Blues best player in their 26-18 series opening loss at Adelaide, was ruled out of the match after collecting the hip of Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
Source:NRL.Com