Queensland suffer another blow with Brisbane’s Josh McGuire ruled out for six weeks with ankle injury

QUEENSLAND’S forward depth has copped a serious blow with Josh McGuire ruled out for the next six weeks with an ankle injury,

Josh McGuire of the Broncos in action during the Round 7 NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Friday, April 20, 2018. (AAP Image/Glenn Hunt) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

QUEENSLAND’S forward stocks have taken another hit with lock forward Josh McGuire ruled out for the next six weeks, all but confirming he will miss Origin I.

With the Origin series to commence on June 6th at the MCG, it would take quite the recovery for McGuire to take his place at lock for the Maroons.

McGuire is one of the top forwards in the NRL.

McGuire did not require surgery and there was no damage to the Achilles tendon he ruptured in 2015.

“The good news is Josh does not require any surgery and he will now undergo a normal rehabilitation,” said Broncos’ high performance manager Jeremy Hickmans.

“We expect this would keep him out football for a maximum of six weeks, but with a successful rehab period there is hope of an even earlier return.”

CRASH TACKLE: North Queensland are lost

COMEBACK: McCullough poised for early return

McGuire, who has played eight Origin matches since his debut in 2015, has cemented his place as Australia’s top lock forward with a fine World Cup campaign last season.

Titans youngster Jai Arrow and Canberra’s Josh Papalii loom as his likely replacements at the back of the scrum.