One of Australia’s biggest names is set to be ruled out of the entirety of this year’s Ashes series – with Latrell Mitchell the latest big name to apparently withdraw from contention for the tour.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs star has struggled with injuries all season long and it seems those woes are set to continue. He has been limited to just 11 games throughout the whole of 2025. Mitchell also missed the latter part of this year’s NRL campaign due to a nerve problem in his back.
And that problem is now severe enough to ensure he won’t be on the plane to England, according to one of the NRL’s leading journalists.
Phil Rothfield said on the Off The Record podcast this week that Mitchell has been told he is unable to do any kind of contact training for up to the next six weeks.
That would leave him way behind in terms of fitness and simply unable to be part of the Kangaroos’ travelling party.
“He just can’t do contact. Kevin Walters now doesn’t have an Origin centre to take away on tour,” Rothfield said.
That is a huge blow not only for the Kangaroos, but for the series in general – with Mitchell one of the biggest names in the game and a major draw for organisers.
But it also deepens Walters’ problems in terms of selection, with Mitchell the latest huge star to be ruled out. He will be without what would have been both of his starting centres in all probability, with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow also unable to be part of the Kangaroos’ squad due to injury.
Tom Trbojevic will now likely be one of the starting centres, with a wide open race to partner him in the three-quarter line after another major blow for Walters. He has already lost Payne Haas, who has switched his allegiance to Samoa for this year’s Pacific Championships.
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