Blues centre Latrell Mitchell took very little time to stamp his authority and back up his blistering performance from the series-opener during tonight's Origin Game Two.
Mitchell, who bagged a double and notched two assists in Game One, was instrumental in kick-starting the Blues' dominant 18-0 opening half.
While he came up with a knock-on in the opening few minutes, Mitchell responded with a one-on-one strip of Maroons winger Kyle Feldt, which just seconds later led to the opening try of the match when Josh Addo-Carr crossed over in the corner.
Not long after, a brilliant read in defence saw the 24-year-old pick off a cut-out pass from Valentine Holmes, to race away for an 80-metre intercept try at the 27th-minute mark. That run brought the star centre up to 128 run metres to his name from six carries, along with five tackles inside the first 27 minutes.
"Big moments, big players – superstars stand up," rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns said of Mitchell's opening efforts on Nine's broadcast of the game.
"First try – one-on-one rake. This time, the intercept from Latrell Mitchell.
"You talk about vision in attack, but also vision in defence. Latrell sees the play unfold, gets in the clear.
"You have to say, this bloke is superstar quality. The big moments, he stands up and owns them."
During the first-half coverage, Blues coach Brad Fittler joined the commentary team and couldn't hold back as he lauded the performance from Mitchell.
"Latrell's come up with three big plays – he got the intercept, he dragged the ball earlier and then pushed Holmes into the in-goal," Fittler said.
"He's having a game."
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