Latrell Mitchell is facing the heartbreaking prospect of missing out on representing the Indigenous team in the NRL All-Stars game for the second year running. And a number of Broncos players have been ruled out of taking part in the annual fixture because they’ll be in England for the World Club Challenge.
Mitchell has previously spoken of how significant the exhibition game against the Maori team is to the Indigenous community, and the NRL has agreed to keep it at the start of the year to give it more attention. But after an injury scare in pre-season training last week, it seems highly unlikely that South Sydney will allow Mitchell to play.
The State of Origin star also missed last year’s fixture, and is in serious doubt for this year’s game after picking up a calf complaint at training. Mitchell has been put on ice and won’t take part in training this week, so it seems unlikely he’ll be playing against the Maori team on February 22 – especially as it would involve flying to Hamilton in New Zealand and then back again.
If Mitchell plays at all in the pre-season, it seems more likely Souths would want him playing against the Dragons on February 14 or Manly on Feb 22. But considering he only managed 11 games in 2025 due to various injuries, Wayne Bennett might opt to keep him on ice until the actual season kicks off in March.
It’s a similar situation for new recruit David Fifita, who copped a knock to the rib last week. Souths will face a tricky call on players like Fifita, Cody Walker and Alex Johnston featuring in the All-Stars game considering how ravaged they were by injuries in 2025.
Broncos players won’t take part in NRL All-Stars game
The Indigenous and Maori sides are waiting to see what NRL clubs decide in terms of player availability. With the Bulldogs, Dragons, Cowboys and Knights playing in Las Vegas on March 1, players from those four sides are extremely unlikely to feature just nine days beforehand.
Those clubs will likely be in the States already by the time the All-Stars game is held, meaning players like Kalyn Ponga, Dylan Lucus, Dane Gagai, Leo Thompson, Josh Curran and Tyrell Sloan will all be out. And no-one from the Broncos will be available either, with Brisbane’s clash against Hull KR on February 20 just two days prior.
Brisbane stars Jordan Riki, Xavier Willison and Jesse Arthars played for the Maori side in 2025, while Kotoni Staggs played for the Indigenous team in 2024. Superstar fullback Reece Walsh has never played in the All-Stars game, and last year admitted he wouldn’t know which team to represent because he has both Indigenous and Maori heritage.
