Brad Fittler's centre depth sheet appeared to be shrinking by the day after star centre Latrell Mitchell limped into the Suncorp Stadium sheds with an apparent groin injury. But miraculalously, the Roosters centre returned to the field after it was initially feared he was in danger for the series opener on June 5. After bagging his second try for the day against the Raiders, Mitchell immediately clutched at his groin in the process of scoring. In positive news, Mitchell was spotted walking around the dressing room freely and he later returned to the centres after warming up on the bike, downgrading the initial diagnosis of a grade two groin strain. Roosters hoping to get Latrell Mitchell warmed up on the bike, may even attempt to return with what they expect to be a groin/hip strain (would expect low grade). Looks like reaction from Mitchell after injury more from shock than anything, great news #NRLMagicRound — NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) May 12, 2019 It is believed to a combination of a groin and hip injury. ''Devastating. it's absolutely devastating,'' Blues advisor Danny Buderus said in Fox League commentary. ''You can see his leg just didn't go over properly and it's just a big worry. ''It's a worrying sign. I'm sure the phones will start ringing pretty soon.'' Fittler lost Origin hopeful Jack Bird to a season-ending ACL injury on Friday night, while Storm centre Curtis Scott was in a moon boot on Saturday with a suspected broken foot. Also in contention was Raiders center Joey Leilua who recently underwent potentially season-ending surgery on a bulging disc in his neck, Bird was lining up to return to the representative fold after Brisbane teammate James Roberts was demoted to reserve grade, displaying resurgent form in a side struggling for confidence. But Bird's knee collapsed under the weight of Manly forward Toafofoa Sipley, who was later stretchered off with his own leg injury, and he was in agonising pain when he was helped off the ground. Meanwhile, a stretcher was called for Roosters winger Daniel Tupou after a Michael Oldfield crusher tackle put his neck in a dangerous position. The Roosters' left edge was completely wiped out with skipper Boyd Cordner earlier failing his HIA assessment and the reigning premiers were forced to finish the game with just one man on the bench.<doc-sep>Curtis Scott, Latrell Mitchell, and Jack Bird have all been injured in Round 9. If you’re an NRL centre with any chance of representing NSW in this year’s State of Origin series, it might be a good idea to lock yourself in a padded room for the next fortnight in an effort to avoid injury. Roosters star Latrell Mitchell sent a scare through Blues camp when he limped off Suncorp Stadium on Sunday clutching his hip after scoring a try against Canberra. The 21-year-old star later returned to the field, after the Chooks lost a further two players to injury. Mitchell’s injury scare follows Joey Leilua, Jack Bird, and Curtis Scott all picking up long-term ailments in the past week alone. Tom Trbojevic has also been sidelined and is considered long odds to be fit for Origin I. Live stream the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of every round live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial > All those players would have been in the running to make Brad Fittler’s Blues side, which will be announced in two weeks’ time ahead of game one on June 5. Incumbent centre James Roberts has also been playing reserve grade and is seriously out of form for the Broncos. NSW assistant coach Danny Buderus told Fox League the injury to Mitchell was “devastating” for the Blues. “We’ll just have to let the dust settle. It shows you how quick this game can change,” Buderus said. “You don’t know who’s in your team until they walk through that door on day one of camp.” Former Queensland forward Corey Parker says NSW has plenty of options still to pick from. “It opens the door, doesn’t it. You’ve got the likes of Jack Wighton, Kotoni Staggs, Josh Morris, Jesse Ramien,” Parker said.<doc-sep>Loading Latrell Mitchell's miraculous recovery from what initially appeared to be a bad groin injury has brightened the mood of Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson after three of his biggest stars were injured in one half of football. The reigning premiers' 30-24 win over the Raiders was bizarre on several fronts but the casualty ward was particularly chaotic, as Latrell Mitchell, Boyd Cordner and Daniel Tupou were all sidelined in the first 40 minutes. Wounded bird: Latrell Mitchell in pain after appearing to get injured while crossing for a try. Credit:AAP Cordner was sidelined by a nasty head knock, Mitchell appeared to injure his groin and Tupou left Suncorp Stadium on a stretcher after grabbing at his neck. Mitchell's face said it all.<doc-sep>Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson admits he feared he’d lost Latrell Mitchell for several weeks after the star centre pulled up lame in Sunday’s 30-24 win over Canberra. Mitchell appeared to suffer a serious groin injury while scoring a try in the 23rd minute but miraculously returned after half-time in a major boost for the Robinson and NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler. “I thought the (minor groin issue) he had four weeks ago had come back and obviously the way that he walked I was thinking I guess what a lot of people were probably thinking - that we weren’t going to see him again (today) and it looked like it was going to be a few weeks.,” Robinson said. “… He was OK to come back on and I think he did well to get back on the field. MORE: Referees make four incorrect decisions in dying minutes of Roosters' win over Raiders | Medical expert defends Suncorp Stadium as surface comes under fire for lengthy injury list | “…I saw him working out on the sideline and he looked confident, he looked jittery (because) he wanted to get back on.” Skipper Boyd Cordner is in major doubt for Friday's clash against the Broncos back at Suncorp Stadium after he suffered a head knock in the first half. Daniel Tupou was stretchered from the field, also in the first half. “It’s not that serious,” Robinson said of Tupou. “He obviously got up afterwards and then he had some tingles down his arm like you would in that circumstance, but he was OK and the doctors said they think he’ll be fine.” Pressed on whether the injured trio will be available for Friday’s clash against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, Robinson replied: “I’d expect Latrell to be right, I’m not sure whether we’ve got enough time for Boyd … and Tupou’s different – I have no idea with the Tupou one.” Meanwhile, Robinson stopped short of blaming any of the injuries amid controversy over the state of the Suncorp surface after eight games at the venue over Magic Round but called for better protocols around the condition of playing surfaces at all grounds. “If we do play a Magic Round or if we’re going to play on any ground we do need to offer a standardisation of surfaces that we play on –no matter what ground we play on,” Robinson said. “… We want to keep our best players on the field so let’s make sure that the field’s great.” Asked specifically about the surface at Suncorp Stadium, Robinson said: “I won’t dive into the field but I think having a protocol for making sure a ground is ready to play on is what we should have and I think I’ll push for that.”<doc-sep>
In-form Roosters star Latrell Mitchell left the field on Sunday afternoon with what looked to be a groin injury, throwing Brad Fittler's NSW State of Origin plans into chaos. Centre options were already dwindling due to an unprecedented spate of injuries, but Mitchell's departure could be the most brutal setback yet. The Roosters centre appeared to injure himself in what looked like an otherwise comfortable run to the tryline following a pass from fullback James Tedesco. After grounding the ball to complete the four-pointer, Mitchell immediately grabbed the inside of his right leg and departed Suncorp Stadium soon after. The Roosters were at the time leading the Raiders 24-6 in the penultimate game of Magic Round. However, halftime vision from inside the Roosters' dressing-room showed Mitchell on the exercise bike and attempting squats, suggesting the injury might not be as bad as originally feared. Melbourne's Curtis Scott had on Saturday become the latest victim ahead of next month's series opener after he suffered a suspected fractured foot in the 64-10 NRL rout of Parramatta. It's been anything but a Magic Round for Blues coach Fittler, who saw another right centre option, Brisbane's Jack Bird, struck down with a season-ending knee injury barely 24 hours earlier. Adding to Fittler's concern, NSW incumbent James Roberts has been dumped to reserve grade by the Broncos while Canberra's Joey Leilua was ruled out for the season with a neck injury last week. Penrith's Waqa Blake also loomed as an option but he was axed by coach Ivan Cleary this weekend because he arrived late for training. Fittler said he wasn't hitting the panic button but had some big decisions to make with just two NRL games left before the Origin opener in Brisbane on June 5. Asked if he may be forced to pick a player out of position in his backline, Fittler told Nine Network: "I am not sure yet. "We still have a couple of weeks to go. Hopefully we have got some outside backs coming back. "There is an opportunity there for someone but they (options) are dwindling with Curtis Scott and Jack Bird out and some playing reserve grade too." Newcastle's Jesse Ramien could receive a surprise Origin call-up thanks to the NSW right centre injury crisis. Cronulla's Josh Morris has indicated that he would consider coming out of representative retirement to answer a Blues SOS. Morris is in fine form after scoring two tries and having a hand in another in the Sharks' Magic Round win over Gold Coast Titans. A changed Blues backline is certain with incumbent winger, Manly's Tom Trbojevic, already ruled out with a hamstring injury.