Origin 2021: Maroons star Dane Gagai spent time in hospital on eve of Townsville opener
First the good Queensland news: AJ Brimson and Dane Gagai will play on Wednesday night. Now for the slightly disconcerting news: The Rabbitohs star has recently spent time in hospital.
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Maroons coach Paul Green has declared injured utility AJ Brimson a certain starter amid revelations his teammate, Dane Gagai, was rushed to hospital on the eve of Origin I.
The Queensland camp has been tight-lipped about the severity of Gagai’s illness but it can be revealed the Maroons centre spent time in hospital in a desperate bid to expedite his recovery from a bout of tonsillitis.
In 2013, Queensland champion Johnathan Thurston was admitted to hospital 24 hours before an Origin game and Gagai is the latest Maroon who required urgent medical help to ensure he plays in this year’s series opener.
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Maroons team medicos sent Gagai to hospital for an antibiotic injection and the treatment has proved successful with the South Sydney ace taking part in the captain’s run at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Tuesday.
Gagai was joined in the session by Titans sensation Brimson, who had his left knee heavily strapped at Queensland’s final training run after suffering bone bruising in his side’s loss to Cronulla last Sunday week.
Ben Hunt was on standby for an eleventh-hour promotion to the interchange bench, but Green confirmed both Gagai and Brimson will play in what has been an injury-disrupted preparation for the Maroons.
“Yes, AJ will play,” Green said of Brimson, who will spend time at hooker if starting rake Harry Grant fails to play the full 80 minutes in his return from a hamstring complaint.
“He got through (the captain’s run) session really well so he will take plenty of confidence out of that, he will be all right.
“AJ can do a job for us there through the middle (as a back-up for Grant).
“His strengths through the middle can be used at dummy half and he is insurance for us also anywhere in the outside backs as well.”
Gagai’s Maroons teammate Kyle Feldt revealed the Queensland centre’s battle with tonsillitis reached a stage where he required a brief stint in hospital.
“We have been doing swims in the morning and he woke up sick one day,” Feldt told Townsville radio.
“We didn’t think anything of it.
“Dane isolated himself and the next day he went to hospital to get some antibiotics pumped into him.
“When Dane pulls on a Queensland jersey, he goes to another level and that won’t be holding him back this time.
“I’m sure he will be all right.”
Gagai has a huge assignment marking-up against NSW’s hulking left centre Latrell Mitchell and Green has no concerns the veteran of 16 Origin games is up to the task.
“His tonsils have come down a fair bit,” Green said.
“They are a lot better. He has trained (at the captain’s run) and is feeling a lot better.”
The clearance of Gagai and Brimson means Valentine Holmes will start at fullback, with Xavier Coates to feature on the right wing and Feldt to debut on the left flank.
Grant hasn’t played for a month but Green is confident the Storm rake will play at least 40 minutes at hooker in his second Origin match.
Next 24 hours crucial for AJ as Maroons extra lands
Maroons coach Paul Green has revealed AJ Brimson is racing the clock to prove his fitness for Wednesday’s Origin series opener, with Ben Hunt on standby to be named on the bench.
The move comes amid concerns over hooker Harry Grant’s ability to play the full 80 minutes of a brutal Origin clash, having not played a game for over a month.
Hunt was rushed into Camp Maroon as 19th man on Monday after Parramatta dummy half Reed Mahoney was ruled out due to a shoulder injury suffered in Sunday’s game against Newcastle.
The Dragons captain provides a ready-made Origin replacement just in case Brimson is a late withdrawal because of a lingering knee complaint, which has hampered his training in Maroons camp.
Green revealed the Titans dynamo will be assessed in the next 24 hours with Hunt on standby to play in the No.14 jersey.
“Ben Hunt has come into the squad, but AJ is there as well,” Green said.
“It depends on how AJ‘s knee goes.
“He hasn‘t really opened up yet at training so we’ll assess things over the next 24 hours.”
Grant has been sidelined since Round 9 because of a hamstring injury but has been cleared to play on Wednesday night when he is expected to run out in the No.9 jersey.
However, concerns have been raised over whether the 23-year-old will handle the full duration of Wednesday’s intense contest with limited match fitness since injuring his hamstring.
When asked whether Grant could handle the full 80 minutes of Origin, Green replied: “Harry has played 80 minutes once before (at NRL level), but we will see how we go.”
Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans has backed Grant to handle the Blues in Townsville after showing no signs of slowing down at training.
“I think he will be up to it,” Cherry-Evans said.
“You don‘t muck around with those sorts of injuries.
“Usually if they aren‘t up to it they won’t play.
“Harry has ticked the boxes with Storm medical staff, so I don‘t see anything holding him back this Wednesday night.”
Meanwhile, Queensland centre Dane Gagai has recovered from a bout of tonsillitis which ruled him out of two training sessions in Maroons camp.
The Maroons star flew with the squad to Townsville on Monday and is expected to run out onto Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Wednesday.
“He is up and about which is good to see,” Cherry-Evans said.
“It wasn‘t ideal for his preparation but we have had cover in the squad and we didn’t skip a beat at training.
“Gages is a welcome addition on Wednesday night, he is a really good player and has shown time and again what the jersey means to him.
“It‘s great to see him back smiling, he is always up for mucking around and joking and he is good to have around the group.”
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