Indigenous coach Laurie Daley admits he doesn’t know if fullback is the right fit for Latrell Mitchell ahead of Saturday’s NRL All Stars clash with the Maori on the Gold Coast.

But Daley has warned Mitchell has the potential to be in the same calibre as Greg Inglis and Jarryd Hayne at No.1.

Hype surrounding the All Stars clash has been dominated by Mitchell’s much anticipated duel with Maori No.1 Kalyn Ponga after the former Sydney Roosters centre made the off-season switch to fullback.

Daley initially tried to play down expectations for Mitchell on Friday, even revealing he wasn’t sure whether fullback was the right fit for the South Sydney recruit.

“I don’t know to be honest,” Daley said when asked if fullback best suited Mitchell.

“He’s not going to be the finished product tomorrow night, he is far from that.

“Anyone expecting Latrell to play like Billy Slater, they are going to be disappointed.”

But Daley said Mitchell had the ability to scale the heights of former South Sydney skipper Inglis and two-time Dally M Medallist Hayne at fullback.

“I am excited to see his first game at fullback and then his last game at fullback this year because I think his growth and development will be massive,” Daley said.

“If he puts his mind to it you will see a strong response.

“If you want him to be of the Jarryd Hayne or Greg Inglis mould that is what you will get – and they were fair players.

“If he turns out anything like those two, South Sydney, Australia, NSW and the Indigenous teams will have a good player on their hands.”

Still, Daley looked forward to the Mitchell-Ponga duel on Saturday night as his Indigenous team looked to repeat last year’s 34-14 thrashing of the Maori in the All Stars game’s return to the Gold Coast.

“There will be things that he does that will put us under pressure and make us sit back in the coach’s box and say ‘that’s too good’,” Daley said of Ponga.

Maori coach David Kidwell warned Ponga was primed to step up on Saturday.

“Everyone talks about his attacking prowess, but I have been impressed with his defensive qualities and the way he speaks to the boys (in camp),” he said.

“He is a future leader that is for sure.”