Five things we learned from the Cowboys’ loss to the Sharks

IN a game where a handful Origin hopefuls played themselves into a Maroons jersey, one may have played himself out of one. 5 things we learned from the Cowboys’ loss to the Sharks.

Michael Morgan jumps on Andrew Fifita’s back.

IN a game where a handful Origin hopefuls played themselves into a Maroons jersey, one may have played himself out of one. 5 things we learned from the Cowboys’ loss to the Sharks.

1. The Cowboys have had a patchy start to the season and looked to be hitting their straps. With a 14-0 lead at halftime, coach Paul Green would have been confident of notching up an important victory on the road. Instead, the Cowboys faltered without Johnathan Thurston to close out the contest. Thurston’s absence was noticeable late in the game when the Cowboys needed a mature head to ice the win.

Michael Morgan jumps on Andrew Fifita’s back.

2. Michael Morgan was in cruise control for 60 minutes and looked to be leading the Cowboys to a memorable victory on the road. Morgan was setting up tries, kicking 40-20s and crunching Sharks runners. But he went missing in the final 20 minutes when the Cowboys needed him to close out the game.

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3. Queensland is going to have a tough time containing Andrew Fifita in Origin I if the Blues get any sort of momentum. Fifita is in sensational form, racking up 181m and producing a number of crucial plays to get the Sharks back into the contest. The good news for the Maroons is Fifita is never far away from giving away a penalty with a brain snap or making an error.

Justin O'Neill looks set to lose his Origin spot.

4. Cowboys trio Ethan Lowe, Coen Hess and Gavin Cooper are better options for the Maroons backrow than Aiden Guerra. Guerra has been terribly out-of-form for the Roosters and should be fighting to save his Queensland jersey. The Cowboys forwards are more consistent and have fewer errors in them. Lowe harassed Blues five-eighth James Maloney all night, Cooper played Game Three last year and Hess is as menacing as they come.

5. Justin O’Neill played all three games of last year’s State of Origin series but looks at long odds to retain his Maroons jersey. O’Neill has not scored a try in eight games this season. His confidence has been down and while his form has improved in recent weeks, the Maroons have stronger centre options in Dane Gagai and Will Chambers.