Injury puts Morgan in doubt for Eels bout
COWBOYS coach Paul Green has revealed Maroons star Michael Morgan will carry a groin injury for the rest of the season in a bitter blow to North Queensland’s premiership fightback.
Morgan is in doubt for North Queensland’s clash with the lowly Parramatta Eels in Darwin tonight after the injury flared in Origin I.
Morgan was initially expected to play a bench utility role in the Origin series opener at the MCG on Wednesday night.
But he was promoted to fullback at the eleventh hour to replace injured No.1 Billy Slater and ran for 173m in a solid 80-minute performance.
Morgan’s Origin promotion could hurt the Cowboys after the 26-year-old was reduced to being a spectator at yesterday’s final training session at TIO Stadium.
Fullback Lachlan Coote is on standby for Morgan and Green admitted his Maroons star could be sidelined following the short turnaround.
“Morgo is the only one in doubt,” he said after Queensland forwards Coen Hess and Gavin Cooper emerged unscathed.
“He didn’t do too much (at training yesterday). He is still a bit sore from the game.
“It’s a bit of a groin issue. It’s a chronic thing. It’s ongoing.
“He has a couple of days’ rest and gets better then plays a game and it’s sore again. That’s going to be the case for the rest of the year.
“We’ll make a decision on him (today).”
The Cowboys are 14th on the ladder and cannot afford to lose to the last-placed Eels as they attempt to claw their way back into finals contention.
A positive for North Queensland is co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott are fresh for the clash when in recent years they would have been backing up after State of Origin.