Michael Morgan is Queensland’s best option at five-eighth for Origin I says Wally Lewis

ORIGIN’S greatest five-eighth Wally Lewis says Michael Morgan is Queensland’s best safety net option in the position for Game One.

Lewis says Morgan is a safe pair of hands for Queensland. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

ORIGIN’S greatest five-eighth Wally Lewis says Michael Morgan is Queensland’s best safety net option in the position for Game One.

Lewis said he had “no doubt’’ that Johnathan Thurston would be cleared to play in the series opener at Suncorp Stadium on May 31 despite a shoulder injury which had ruled him out of two NRL matches.

But Lewis said Morgan had emerged from a ruck of contenders with his recent performances for the Cowboys.

While not a playmaker at No.6 in the style of Thurston and Darren Lockyer, Morgan’s running and defence made him the long-term option to replace Thurston, who intends to retire from representative football at season’s end.

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Lewis says Morgan is a safe pair of hands for Queensland. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

“I think there’s no doubt JT will play, but after that I’d expect Morgan would be first selected there ahead of players like (Daly) Cherry-Evans and (Anthony) Milford,’’ said Lewis, the winner of the most Origin man-of-the-match awards.

“There appeared to be some doubt concerning Michael Morgan in the early games this season. He didn’t appear to be at his best but the last two matches will have proven to selectors and his teammates he’s one of those players you shouldn’t doubt.

“There’s a little consideration that like Steve Ella, used to be picked as a reserve (in the 1980s) because he can play so many spots at Test level, Michael Morgan has versatility.

“But he’s got the ability and he’s never short of determination. While we mightn’t hear anything of it, he will have spent plenty of time of the phone to Kevin Walters. Both of them will be 100 per cent happy with how he’s sitting at the moment.’’

Parramatta’s Corey Norman is out of contention for Origin I as he will miss at least four weeks with a knee injury.

Lockyer, a Queensland selector, said the other three had one more week to stake a claim.

“Out of those three guys, Morgan was probably the one who best performed (ahead of Cherry-Evans and Milford),” Lockyer said.

“There was a lot to like about his game (in North Queensland’s win over Canterbury last Thursday). It was about his control of the game. That was a really positive thing because it’s not his natural game to run a team around but he was really impressive the other night.

“It gives you confidence that if he has to go into that position, he’ll handle it.”

DCE didn’t set the world alight for Queensland. Photo: Peter Wallis

Queensland coach Walters and the selection panel also are mindful that they must have a succession plan for Thurston and perhaps Cooper Cronk who might join him in 2018 the ranks of Former Origin Greats. Cronk said last week he did not know if he would play with a new club when he moves to Sydney next year.

“If neither of them, are there it would be a fair challenge to whoever dons the jerseys,’’ Lewis said.

“The first thing they are going to get comparisons to what it was like with the other two (Thurston and Cronk) can they perform as well? Only time would tell.’’

Either Thurston and Cronk has worn the Maroons No.7 jersey in all but four games since 2005.

Cherry-Evans’s had two matches as a starting halfback when Cronk was unavailable in 2014 and 2015 and Scott Prince played two in 2008 when Lockyer was injured.