Morgo derby spot fears
COWBOYS coach Paul Green concedes Michael Morgan is unlikely to play against the Broncos on Friday night as the star half battles a frustrating abdominal complaint.
Green has named an unchanged 17 for the blockbuster derby clash at Suncorp Stadium, with Te Maire Martin retaining his spot at five- eighth and Morgan named on an extended bench.
Morgan was a late withdrawal from North Queensland’s opening round win over Cronulla after he suffered an abdominal strain at training during the week.
Green said Morgan will be given until Thursday’s captain’s run to prove his fitness, but he expected the Iggy Park product would need at least another week to overcome what can be a niggling injury.
“He’s probably less chance than I thought after last week,” Green said.
“It’s more about being able to train pain- free and then also pulling up well the next day. It’s one of those injuries that you just don’t know how they’re going to recover. You might feel all right when you do a bit, but then pull up pretty sore the next day, so the risk with those is if you push them too hard too early then they drag on for quite a while.
“He’s not too far away and he hasn’t been ruled out for this week, but I’d say he’s unlikely to play.”
Morgan enjoyed a breakout season last year as he took charge of the Cowboys without injured captain Johnathan Thurston, leading them to an unlikely grand final from eighth place.
That stellar form saw Morgan rewarded with a new fiveyear deal and while he’s yet to play a game this season, Green was confident the 26- year- old won’t be sidelined for too long.
“He is frustrated but it’s more about just wanting to get out there with the team,” he said. “He thought he would’ve been right last week so that’s probably the most frustrating thing for him.”
Lachlan Coote will be sidelined for at least another week due to a hamstring injury, with Ben Hampton again set to wear the No. 1 jersey against the Broncos. Hampton was impressive in just his second game at fullback for the Cowboys last weekend and Green was confident he could continue to be their attacking spark.
“He had a couple of simple errors last week but other than that, I thought he was really good,” Green said.
“He’s got plenty of speed and he adds plenty of spark when he comes in and threatens the line. You want those guys creating some opportunities and Benny did that well for us on the weekend.”