NSW Blues centre Latrell Mitchell will miss State of Origin Game I after sustaining a calf injury.
The superstar South Sydney fullback suffered the injury at training, with scans later revealing a strain will rule him out of the series opener.
Brad Fittler's side travelled to Adelaide on Monday morning as they look to snatch back the Origin shield.
"Seeing Latrell explain it to the players early this morning showed you where his head was and how much he wanted to play," the coach said.
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"We had to wait for scans, so speaking to the doctor and the physio and Latrell - there was a chance that he could come down and train and see how he went.
"But he made the selfless decision to allow Stephen Crichton to take his place.
"He was very emotional. It just shows where he is at, at the moment.
"He wanted to play on the biggest stage, and he is disappointed he is not going to play.
"A lot goes into this preparation and it is a shame we won’t get to see him play State of Origin, but he will be right later in the series."
The news comes days after a previous injury scare for NSW, with Payne Haas suffering an ankle sprain in training on Friday. However, the Broncos enforcer participated in full contact training on Sunday and will line up in the front-row.
Who will replace Latrell Mitchell for NSW?
Following the news of Mitchell's withdrawal from the side, Stephen Crichton has been promoted to the starting centre position after training with the Blues for their entire camp.
The 22-year-old played all three games for NSW in last year's series and will join six of his Penrith teammates in the side for the series opener.
Canterbury playmaker Matt Burton has been called into the squad and will assume 18th man duties.
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Latrell Mitchell State of Origin career stats
| Appearances | 7 |
| Tries | 6 |
| Win rate | 57% |
| Avg. run metres | 110 |
| Try assists | 2 |
| Tackles made | 65 |
NSW Blues Game 1 confirmed team list and squad
1. James Tedesco
2. Josh Addo-Carr
3. Tom Trbojevic
4. Stephen Crichton
5. Brian To'o
6. Jarome Luai
7. Nathan Cleary
8. Tevita Pangai Junior
9. Api Koroisau
10. Payne Haas
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Hudson Young
13. Isaah Yeo
14. Junior Paulo
15. Cameron Murray
16. Liam Martin
17. Nicho Hynes
Reserves: Matt Burton, Stefano Utoikamanu, Blayke Braile
