Health considerations received’t discourage Queensland coach Billy Slater from contemplating Harry Grant and Kalyn Ponga for the winner-take-all State of Origin decider.
However he must discover one other winger after Murray Taulagi joined fellow winger Xavier Coates in being dominated out with a hamstring drawback.
Taulagi suffered the damage within the Cowboys’ golden-point loss to Manly on Saturday night time.
Slater is probably going to herald Selwyn Cobbo out huge with Knights veteran Dane Gagai, the 18th participant for the 38-10 Origin II loss on the MCG, can also be within the combine for a recall.
Slater is happy Cobbo is again to full well being after resting him from the game-two loss, however is remaining tight-lipped on David Fifita’s probabilities of choice for July 17.
There may be additionally hypothesis that Canberra prop Josh Papali’i might be satisfied to return out of consultant retirement for one final Origin with Queensland after their pack was outmuscled by the Blues in recreation two.
Queensland’s bench hooker Grant was rested from Melbourne’s first recreation after the Marons have been thrashed 38-18 in recreation two, but it surely has since come to gentle he’s contending with a sternum damage.
The Storm additionally sat Grant out of Saturday night time’s 40-28 defeat of Wests Tigers, although soccer boss Frank Ponissi attributed that call to “bumps and bruises” his captain is carrying.
However regardless of the shortage of game-time, Slater has not but put a line by means of his former teammate as he contemplates tweaks to his overwhelmed bunch for the sequence finale at Suncorp Stadium.
“(Grant) hasn’t been dominated out,” Slater instructed The Sunday Footy Present. “He’s had a few weeks off now, he didn’t play the sport after the Origin, he sat out the sport on the weekend.
“I do know Harry fairly effectively, I’ve been chatting with him during the last couple of weeks. He’s in a reasonably good place.”
Selwyn Cobbo. (Picture by Chris Hyde/Getty Photographs)
Slater is keen to place related religion in Newcastle fullback Kalyn Ponga, who took the sector for the primary time in 11 weeks throughout Sunday’s conflict in opposition to Canberra.
Seven-time Maroon Ponga missed final 12 months’s sequence to get well from a severe concussion and is unlikely to displace Reece Walsh from the fullback spot.
However after shaking off a foot damage, Ponga is taken into account a number one contender for the bench utility position that Cobbo crammed to acclaim in recreation one.
Knights coach Adam O’Brien confirmed he harboured no fears for Ponga’s health if he have been to be chosen on the again of a protracted damage.
“I’d be tremendous supportive,” he mentioned. “He by no means lets his state down, he performed a reasonably essential position in a win for them not way back.
“He does greater than sufficient for us as a group and he deserves (it).”
Slater mentioned Cobbo was “actually one of many candidates” for a spot within the Maroons’ backline after the Brisbane flyer missed Origin II amid niggling accidents.
“(He’s) again taking part in, good and match now and carried out effectively,” Slater mentioned, impressed with Cobbo’s efficiency in Friday’s loss to Penrith.
However Slater was coy on Fifita, the Gold Coast wrecking ball missed for the primary two video games of the sequence regardless of glorious particular person type this season.
Fifita might add muscle to a Maroons bench that struggled within the game-two loss, however Slater mentioned he wouldn’t speculate on his possibilities.
“It might be disrespectful to throw names on the market and say this man’s within the group, this man isn’t,” he mentioned.
Slater insisted the injured Latrell Mitchell’s withdrawal from the NSW group wouldn’t affect his personal alternatives after opposing centre Valentine Holmes struggled to curb the South Sydney star’s affect in Origin II.
“It’s fairly harmful when you begin deciding on your group on what the opposition are going to do,” Slater mentioned.
Doubtless Maroons group
1 Reece Walsh (Broncos)
2 Selwyn Cobbo (Broncos)
3 Valentine Holmes (Cowboys)
4 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Dolphins)
5 Dane Gagai (Knights)
6 Tom Dearden (Cowboys)
7 Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles)
8 Reuben Cotter (Cowboys)
9 Ben Hunt (Dragons)
10 Lindsay Collins (Roosters)
11 Jaydn Su’A (Dragons)
12 Jeremiah Nanai (Cowboys)
13 Patrick Carrigan (Broncos)
14 Harry Grant (Storm)
15 Moeaki Fotuaika (Titans)
16 David Fifita (Titans)
17 Kalyn Ponga (Knights)
18 Felise Kaufusi (Dolphins)
19 Kurt Capewell (Warriors)
20 Sam Walker (Roosters)
with AAP
