North Queensland and Maroons fullback Michael Morgan is set to under an injury cloud for the remainder of the 2018 campaign, after club coach Paul Green confirmed Morgan has an ongoing groin injury.
Morgan is still in doubt for the Cowboys' clash with the Eels on Saturday night, after unexpectedly playing the full 80 minutes during Origin I, given Billy Slater's late withdrawal 48 hours from kick-off.
The 26-year-old didn't train on Friday in North Queensland's final session, with Green admitting his groin injury is an issue that just won't go away.
“Morgo is the only one in doubt,” Green told The Courier-Mail on Friday.
“He didn’t do too much (at training). 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 will benefit from having a fresh Jonathan Thurston and Matt Scott during the Origin periods, given the pair have been Maroons regulars for years.
Scott missed out on Origin I, but Queensland coach Kevin Walters believes he's a chance to be selected for games II and III, with Green hoping his star forward can impress over the next fortnight and earn himself an Origin call-up.
“The carrot has been dangled there for him,” Green added.
“Kevvie (Walters) has mentioned his name. He’s got the next two games before they pick the team for Origin II.
“He’s been around long enough. He knows what he needs to do.
“Hopefully that carrot is enough for him to pull out a couple of big games in the next two weeks.
“He is a guy that’s played plenty of Origins. I was a little bit surprised (he was left out) but I could see where Kevvie was going with it.”
The 4-9 Cowboys need a win against the bottom-placed Eels in order to keep their finals hopes alive.