Josh McGuire will play just one game before State of Origin I

Having been ruled out of North Queensland’s clash with Parramatta this weekend, Josh McGuire will have just one game to prove himself as the Maroons’ best choice as starting dummy-half.

McGuire doesn’t have long to get himself right. Image: Evan Morgan

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Josh McGuire’s absence for another week through injury further clouds Queensland’s State of Origin hooker options.

McGuire, who is strongly under consideration as Queensland’s starting dummy-half for Origin I, can now play no more than one game before the team is selected on Monday week.

The Cowboys and Maroons forward will not play against Parramatta on Saturday in Townsville, with a calf injury ruling him out for a second week.

McGuire doesn’t have long to get himself right. Image: Evan Morgan

Cowboys coach Paul Green said he hoped McGuire would play against Canberra on Saturday week, two days before the Maroons side is named for the June 5 Origin series opener.

Dummy-half is a starting role which McGuire fulfilled for the Broncos smoothly enough last year without offering much guile with the ball.

“If he doesn’t (play against Parramatta), he expects to get one game in at least,’’ Queensland coach Kevin Walters said.

Walters this week talked up the chances of two hookers playing in the Townsville match, Cowboy Jake Granville and Eel Reed Mahoney.

They have the chance to press their claims on Saturday, with Green not showing his hand yet on whether he would again use Granville as an interchange dummy-half in a team which is unchanged from the one beaten 32-16 by South Sydney last Sunday.

Jake Granville has an opportunity to show his value. Image: AAP/Steve Pohlner

Mahoney has played only 18 NRL matches and his Origin claims are not viewed as favourably by selectors as those of 2015 premiership winner Granville.

Incumbent Maroons No.14 Ben Hunt will be viewed as one of Queensland’s two dummy-halves, given that Daly Cherry-Evans told Walters last week that he was confident of being fit for the June 5 Origin opener despite an ankle injury.

One scenario for the selectors is to have McGuire give the Maroons 20 minutes at dummy-half before Hunt’s better acceleration and hands are injected when the forwards exchange has lost some energy.

Granville was averaging 57 minutes per game this year before he was used as an interchange dummy-half to relieve Kurt Baptiste against Souths until a head injury forced his replacement.

Ben Hunt is another options at No.9. Image: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

It is doubtful Queensland would have both Granville and Hunt as their two dummy-half options rather than install instead one additional bigger body in the forwards rotation.

It would be at the expense of Granville, who is untested in the Origin arena.

Walters said on Monday that he was “pretty impressed’’ by Granville’s performance for the Cowboys against South Sydney.

“We are looking at all options — both Ben Hunt playing No.9 or starting someone else there,’’ Walters told Sydney radio’s Big Sports Breakfast program.

“We have a fair idea of what we are doing.

“He (Mahoney) is an exciting young player and still maturing as a No.9. In a couple of weeks’ time he could well find himself in that jumper.’’

Walters said he was “bemused’’ why Mahoney didn’t start in Parramatta’s hefty loss to Melbourne, in which he still played 60 minutes and made 23 tackles.

Mahoney played 74 minutes the previous week in a win over St George Illawarra and made 38 tackles, missing five.

Cowboys premiership winners Michael Morgan and Kyle Feldt will play their 150th and 100th game respectively on Saturday.

Originally published as Josh McGuire will play just one game before State of Origin I