Latrell Mitchell's NSW teammates have heralded his injury withdrawal from State of Origin II as selfless, with coach Brad Fittler admitting he always held concerns for Mitchell's ability to recover in time for the must-win match on June 21.
Mitchell has not played since tweaking his calf in the lead-up to last month's series opener but resumed running over the long weekend, so was named at left centre in Fittler's side to face Queensland.
But after consulting with NSW's coaching and medical staff, Mitchell informed teammates on Wednesday night he would not be fit in time for Origin II.
Penrith's Stephen Crichton has been promoted from 18th man to the starting side, replacing Mitchell as he did in Game I.
"I always felt like he was going to struggle," Fittler said of Mitchell.
"It was pretty much his decision, he just felt he wasn't going to be right.
"At the end of the day, it's the best for everyone.
"It allows everyone to move forward. It allows Latrell to move forward, to go and sort his injury out. It allows 'Critta' to go into the team."
Mitchell had already been prepared for his injury to rule him out of training until Sunday, so Crichton had been lining up in his place for the first two days of Blues camp.
Mitchell has since left camp, but not before giving Crichton some parting advice.
"He told me to back myself and do what I could with the team," Crichton said.
"It's still pretty sad about what happened with Latrell but full focus is what's ahead for next Wednesday.
"The energy and that is still there, the boys are still preparing the best they can and training has been a good vibe."
Mitchell pulled out of Game I only two days before kick-off but the Blues said his earlier withdrawal this time around gave Crichton the best chance to steel himself for the crucial clash at Suncorp Stadium.
"It was a very unselfish move from Latrell to rule himself out," prop Junior Paulo told AAP.
"For him to rule himself out early, you can see how much it means to him but also the respect that he's got for Critta, to have the best prep possible leading into next week."
Mitchell's skill-set is unique to the NRL and winger Josh Addo-Carr conceded his presence would be missed by a Blues side hoping to level the series.
"Trell brings that presence that no one else has. That's a bonus for us but I can't stress how good of a team we are," he told AAP.
"I think we've got the best players in the competition. There's a lot of x-factor in this team.
"I've played in the Blues side with Trell for a while now so I was looking forward to it (playing with him).
"(But) It's a selfless thing that he's done."
