Comfortable surroundings: Latrell ready to reignite lethal left edge

A now 'comfortable' Latrell Mitchell conceded the thought of being without close mates Josh Addo-Carr and Jack Wighton for the series opener made him nervous to return to the Origin arena. 

Mitchell will return to sky blue after missing last year's series and will come into a backline exactly the same as the one that got the job done when he was last there in 2021. 

That included the inclusion of Addo-Carr, who worked around the clock to overcome an ankle injury last week and play one NRL game before earning an Origin recall. 

For Mitchell, whom Addo-Carr and Wighton are his closest friends in the representative scene after Origin and international tours together, it brought him some relief to see the Bulldogs winger get through.

"I was nervous coming in without Foxx after Jack retired," Mitchell said.

I'm always ready to play for the Blues but having Foxxy back is really special.

- Latrell Mitchell

"They’re the two lads I hang out with and who make me feel comfortable when I’m in these camps.

"There's obviously a few new guys and older guys too like Teddy (James Tedesco), and I haven’t played with Tyson [Frizell] since 2019.

"Nicho Hynes... he’ll bring a different aspect and style to the game. It will be good to see if he’s up to it.

"He’s got a great story that’s pretty powerful. He leans on me and Cody [Walker] in All Stars camps and we let him play footy and take the pressure off him."

More importantly for the Blues is Mitchell will be back on the left edge alongside Jarome Luai and Brian To'o with the trio proving lethal against the Maroons two years ago, scoring six tries between them in three games.

Mitchell's absence has also been evident since he made his Origin debut in 2019.

The Blues have dropped both series when Mitchell has been unavailable through injury in 2020 and 2022 and won all when he's played.

Mitchell crossed for four tries in three Origin appearances in 2021 while To'o got over the line twice in the series opener.

Adding to the edge this year with no Tariq Sims will be Blues rookie Hudson Young, who Mitchell went to school with on the Central Coast.

Mitchell recalled Young placing grubber kicks in at school when the pair briefly crossed paths through rugby league and touch football.

"He can grubber kick through for me now," Mitchell says.

"It’s a good journey to see where Hudson has come from and now crossing paths again.

"I didn’t know too much of him because he was a year younger but he was half a touch player back then and that’s the way he still plays footy now.

"It’s good to see him starting to hit form, he’s starting to come into the player he is.

"He’s earned the right and his footy tells a different story to his past. He’s paving the way for younger fellas who have hit speedbumps along the way."