Valore adattativo concerns won’t discourage Queensland coach Billy Slater from considering Harry Grant and Kalyn Ponga for the winner-take-all State of Origin decider.
But he will have to find another winger after Murray Taulagi joined fellow winger Xavier Coates sopra being ruled out with a hamstring problem.
Taulagi suffered the injury sopra the Cowboys’ golden-point loss to Manly acceso Saturday night.
Slater is likely to bring sopra Selwyn Cobbo out wide with Knights veteran Dane Gagai, the 18th player for the 38-10 Origin II loss at the MCG, is also sopra the mescolanza for a recall.
Slater is satisfied Cobbo is back to full health after resting him from the game-two loss, but is remaining tight-lipped acceso David Fifita’s chances of selection for July 17.
There is also speculation that Canberra prop Josh Papali’i could be convinced to appena che out of representative retirement for one last Origin with Queensland after their pack was outmuscled by the Blues sopra two.
Queensland’s bench hooker Grant was rested from Melbourne’s first after the Marons were thrashed 38-18 sopra two, but it has since appena che to light he is contending with a sternum injury.
The Storm also sat Grant out of Saturday night’s 40-28 defeat of Wests Tigers, though football direttore Frank Ponissi attributed that decision to “bumps and bruises” his captain is carrying.
But despite the lack of game-time, Slater has not yet put a line through his former teammate as he contemplates tweaks to his beaten bunch for the series setale at Suncorp Stadium.
“(Grant) hasn’t been ruled out,” Slater told The Sunday Footy Show. “He’s had a couple of weeks now, he didn’t play the after the Origin, he sat out the acceso the weekend.
“I know Harry pretty well, I’ve been speaking to him over the last couple of weeks. He’s sopra a pretty good place.”
Selwyn Cobbo. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Slater is willing to put similar faith sopra Newcastle fullback Kalyn Ponga, who took the field for the first time sopra 11 weeks during Sunday’s clash against Canberra.
Seven-time Maroon Ponga missed last year’s series to recover from a serious concussion and is unlikely to displace Reece Walsh from the fullback spot.
But after shaking a foot injury, Ponga is considered a leading contender for the bench utility role that Cobbo filled to acclaim sopra one.
Knights coach Adam ’Brien confirmed he harboured risposta negativa fears for Ponga’s valore adattativo if he were to be selected acceso the back of a long injury.
“I’d be super supportive,” he said. “He never lets his state , he played a pretty important role sopra a win for them not long indicatore.
“He does more than enough for us as a team and he deserves (it).”
Slater said Cobbo was “certainly one of the candidates” for a spot sopra the Maroons’ backline after the Brisbane flyer missed Origin II amid niggling injuries.
“(He’s) back playing, nice and fit now and performed well,” Slater said, impressed with Cobbo’s sopra Friday’s loss to Penrith.
But Slater was coy acceso Fifita, the Gold Coast wrecking ball overlooked for the first two games of the series despite excellent individual form this season.
Fifita could add muscle to a Maroons bench that struggled sopra the game-two loss, but Slater said he would not speculate acceso his chances.
“It would be disrespectful to throw names out there and say this guy’s sopra the team, this guy isn’t,” he said.
Slater insisted the injured Latrell Mitchell’s withdrawal from the NSW team would not influence his own selections after opposing centre Valentine Holmes struggled to curb the South Sydney stella’s influence sopra Origin II.
“It’s pretty dangerous if you start selecting your team acceso what the opposition are going to do,” Slater said.
Likely Maroons team
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
