Michael Morgan has proved himself as the most improved player in the NRL during the absence of captain Jonathan Thurston and could be set for a big step up in 2018.
Late in the 2013 NRL season, former North Queensland coach Neil Henry switched Thurston from five-eighth to halfback, reinvigorating the future Immortal and taking his side to a new level.
With Morgan finally showing the maturity required of an elite playmaker, Thurston could be set to revert back to the number six jersey next year as Morgan continues to make the halfback role his own this NRL Finals Series.
Morgan’s cool head throughout his side’s three Final’s games has seen him pot the first two field goals of his career, one of them an extra time match-winner, as well as allowing off-the-cuff international Te Maire Martin a chance to flourish.
Morgan has added three try-assists, a try, a 40/20 and seven offloads across the series, as well as running for close to a hundred metres each game, but it’s his new found cool head that has seen the man become North Queensland’s new iceman.
Thurston is set to retire from rugby league at the end of the 2018 NRL season, meaning it may be time for the former Maroon and Kangaroo’s half to take a step back and switch to five-eighth in 2018 in order to hand the reigns over to Morgan for next year and beyond.
After a season-ending shoulder reconstruction in May, Thurston believes his absence may have actually helped Morgan mature this year.
“That's exciting for our club. As devastated as I am to be sitting on the sidelines, for our fans, our members, it's an insight into the future of our club”.
Morgan isn’t the only Cowboy to step up in September, with Jason Taumalolo spectacularly running on average 252 metres per Final’s game, as well as making 32 tackles each match. Kyle Feldt is pushing for a World Cup berth with some stunning efforts in both attack and defence, his put-downs for tries snatching headlines especially.
Morgan will go head to head with Cooper Cronk this Sunday in a battle for the NRL Premiership trophy, before teaming up with departing Storm half in a chase for World Cup glory this September.