Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic have joined a growing list of unavailable players for the Kangaroos’ Ashes tour in another massive blow for new coach Kevin Walters. Mitchell only played 11 games in 2025 and missed nine of the last 10 rounds of the season.
He didn’t play after Round 23 due to a nerve issue in his back, and the injury is now reportedly set to rule him out of the Ashes. Phil Rothfield revealed on the ‘Off The Record’ podcast on Tuesday that Mitchell has been told he “can’t do anything for four to six weeks” and won’t be available for the Ashes series in England.
Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic are both out of the Kangaroos’ Ashes tour. Image: Getty
Rothfield said: “He just can’t do contact. Kevin Walters now doesn’t have an Origin centre to take away on tour.” The leading journo revealed that Mitchell won’t even be allowed to play in his beloved Koori Knockout carnival for Indigenous teams.
Mitchell had made it abundantly clear to Walters last month that he was desperate to be part of Australia’s touring party. “I did speak to him earlier this week and I’m going to catch up with him next week in Sydney,” Walters said about Mitchell last month. “From what I can gather he was very keen to catch up and have a coffee so that’s always a good sign.”
Tom Trbojevic (L), Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (centre) and Latrell Mitchell (R) are all out. Image: Getty
Tom Trbojevic opts out of Ashes with knee injury
The situation for Walters got even worse on Thursday, with Trbojevic also reportedly informing the coach he won’t be playing. According to the Daily Telegraph, Trbojevic has a knee issue he’s been dealing with that requires rest.
The Manly star doesn’t need off-season surgery, but won’t be available for the Ashes tour. The fullback was reportedly keen to play for the Kangaroos against England, but wants a full and injury-free pre-season for the Sea Eagles in 2026.
Walters will be forced to turn to a new-look centre pairing after Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was also officially ruled out of the England tour on Monday. Tabuai-Fidow and Trbojevic were the Kangaroos’ starting centres in last year’s victorious Pacific Championships campaign and both had standout tournaments, but both are now out.
Scans revealed Tabuai-Fidow picked up a grade three tear of his medial collateral ligament (MCL) in the Dolphins’ final round win over Canberra that’s expected to sideline the Hammer for around eight weeks. Mitchell was seemingly the next cab off the rank, but the likes of Kotoni Staggs, Bradman Best and Gehamat Shibasaki will all now come into calculations.
Mark Nawaqanitawase has done everything in his power to make the squad, and can also play centre if need-be. Zac Lomax, Xavier Coates and Jacob Kiraz will all be in contention for wing spots. Valentine Holmes is also unavailable after season-ending surgery.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow might have played last game for Kangaroos
It had been widely reported that Tabuai-Fidow was ready to follow the lead of Payne Haas and switch his national allegiance from Australia to Samoa anyway. And the Dolphins confirmed as much after revealing details around the injury that suggest the Hammer could have played his final Test for Australia.
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The Dolphins released a statement on Monday revealing Tabuai-Fidow had been ‘ruled out of the upcoming Pacific Championships’, suggesting he’d already told the club he wasn’t playing in the Ashes series. “The Hammer is expected to be ruled out for approximately eight weeks, ruling him out of the tournament,” the club said.
Tabuai-Fidow will now have to wait until after his rehabilitation before potentially beginning his pre-season training with the Dolphins in November. But confirmation of his absence for the Ashes is yet another blow for Walters, who’s already lost Haas and will be without Origin forwards Liam Martin (family reasons) and Cameron Murray (fitness), who have both withdrawn from selection.