Michael Maguire sends message to Nicho Hynes after shock State of Origin axing as Blues coach insists there is NO rift between him and Latrell Mitchell

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Michael Maguire has explained why he decided to drop Nicho Hynes for State of Origin II, with the Blues coach making eyebrow-raising calls for the do-or-die clash at the MCG.

Hynes was the highest-profile casualty of the Blues' Origin I defeat on Sunday as Maguire announced his squad for the next game, with Latrell Mitchell, Dylan Edwards and Mitchell Moses called up.

Hynes came under fire following the Blues' series-opening 38-10 loss, with NSW accused of lacking polish at the end of sets in attack.

And speaking to News Corp, Maguire refused to go into detail on the reasons why he dropped Hynes, but said the Sharks gun is fully aware of what is expected from him. 

'Those calls are always tough ones,' he said. 'Nicho and I have spoken about the reasons why (he was dropped), 

Michael Maguire has explained his selection decisions for Origin II

'I won't go too deep into the ins and outs, but I've had many chats with Nicho and he knows my expectations, what I'm after and what I'm looking for.

'Nicho just has to go away and work hard. He is a student of the game and these experiences will only help his game.'

Souths superstar Mitchell's inclusion has set tongues wagging, with the fullback overlooked for the opener amid reports he had fallen out with Maguire.

But the coach has rubbished those claims.

'There's no issue with me and Latrell,' he said.

'That's the noise of the game and I've been around long enough.

Maguire says Nicho Hynes understands the reasons why he was not selected

The NSW Blues coach also denied suggestions of a rift between himself and Latrell Mitchell

'At the end of the day, Latrell and I spoke about what we expected and he has definitely moved towards that, so I'm looking forward to having him in camp.

'I think Latrell is in the right headspace, he is in really good form.

'The last month of footy, he has been really consistent and he is performing up to expectations.

'Latrell just has to come into this team and do his job. I just want him to be himself and play his game.

'That's what I have seen from him over the past month, he has been playing his part for Souths.

'I've always said I want to pick players in good form and Latrell has moved towards that in a big way.

'I know what he brings and he brings it with a smile on his face, we're keen to see what he can do for us.

'Latrell is a big-game player.'