Maroons eye other big guns
THE Maroons have the playmaking cavalry to continue their State of Origin dominance without Johnathan Thurston.
That’s the opinion of former r Queensland halves Ben Ikin n and Allan Langer as the e Cowboys cross their fingerss their main man isn’t sidelined for long with a shoulder injury.
Thurston will meet with a specialist today to gauge the extent of the damage after he copped a knock in Australia’s Test win over New Zealand on Friday.
Initial reports suggest he is unlikely to be fit for at least the Origin series opener in Brisbane on May 31, which would end his record streak of 36 straight appearances.
Even with Broncos No. 7 Ben Hunt sidelined with a hamstring injury, Queensland is well served in the halves, with Daly Cherry- Evans ( above), Anthony Milford and Corey Norman the main candidates to replace Thurston.
Reports on how long Thurston will be out range from anywhere from two to six weeks.
Former Queensland halfback Adrian Lam, who was part of the Kangaroos preparations last week, believes Thurston may not be out as long as first feared.
“Obviously he’ll go and get some scans early on in the week and allegedly there’s a little bit of a tear in the AC joint,” he told Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show.
“It’s manageable; they’re talking two to four weeks at the moment.”
After his first match back from three weeks out with a calf issue, Thurston gave no indication he had sustained the injury when interviewed by Maroons great Darren Lockyer afterwards.
“It was a bit unusual that first game back and he’d just won a Test, ( that) he seemed frustrated and agitated,” Lockyer said.
Ikin said Maroons coach Kevin Walters would likely consult Cooper Cronk on which style of halves partner suits him best before setting on a potential Thurston replacement.
“It’s a pretty handy Queensland side even though he’s not there. I don’t know which way they would go but Corey Norman is going pretty good; there’s no doubt he’d handle Origin.
“They ( Cowboys) certainly are not the same side without JT, no side is.
“The Broncos are doing pretty well without Ben Hunt. He’s not in the same category as Johnathan Thurston but he’s pretty important for Brisbane.
“The Cowboys just have to do what they can while JT’s away to keep themselves in the hunt.”
Langer said Manly skipper Cherry- Evans had done all he could to earn a recall, while Milford’s running game could complement Cronk.
“Cherry- Evans is playing very well for the Manly boys at the moment and has been part of the system before,” Langer said.
“Milford will be in the mix as well. Cronk will do his job and you only need another bloke to run off him.
“It’s hard to replace a bloke of his capabilities; he hasn’t missed one ( Origin).”