Gallen surprised by Latrell's sacking

Former NSW skipper Paul Gallen is shocked by the omission of Latrell Mitchell from State of Origin II, calling it a "big loss".

"I think it's a big loss personally," Gallen told AAP.

"Freddy's the coach. He's got to live and die by his decisions. I think it is a loss but at the end of the day the decision has been made."

Gallen believes this may not be the last we see of Mitchell in this State of Origin.

"Latrell's just got to go back to club level and play good football there," he said.

"He's 22 years old, he's a superstar of the game. It wouldn't surprise me if he was back there for game III. He's that good."

Meanwhile Gallen praised the selection of Newcastle Knights' Daniel Saifiti, who will make his Origin debut on Sunday.

"Without a doubt he's one of the biggest bolters in history," he said.

"We saw his performance against Souths, he took on the Burgess boys single handedly."

Gallen says Saifiti must perform in Origin the way he did against the Rabbitohs.

"It's going to be a different environment for him," he said.

"If he plays the way he played against the Burgess boys that night, he'll handle it."