Cowboys facing Turbo troubles as Maroons stars prepare to back up
Cowboys stars Michael Morgan and Josh McGuire were part of Queensland’s bruising win over NSW on Wednesday night and are planning to pull the boots on again just 72 hours later.
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Maroons stars Michael Morgan and Josh McGuire are expected to back up from Wednesday night’s epic win to play for the Cowboys in their clash with Manly on Saturday night
The Origin duo were monumental in Queensland’s 18-14 win over New South Wales less than three days ago and will strap on the boots once again to face a bruising Manly forward pack.
McGuire was at his bruising best for Queensland, running for 108m and making 35 tackles, while Morgan was strong in attack.
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The size of Manly’s pack isn’t the only concern for the Cowboys with the Sea Eagles’ dynamic fullback Tom Trbojevic set to make his return from a hamstring injury.
It comes as North Queensland surge back into top eight contenders following three back-to-back wins for the first time since their 2017 surge into the finals.
Coach Paul Green said the return of Morgan and McGuire would give the team a psychological boost after coming off such a major win.
“They’ll both play,” Green said after yesterday’s captain’s run.
“They pulled up all right after Origin and are feeling pretty good so they’re keen to play.
“It’s always good when Queensland wins and you’re players come back feeling a lot better about themselves, emotionally they’re still riding that high.
“We’ve got a bit of confidence, three in a row, so we’re looking to build on that.”
Morgan has been named to play at fullback in Townsville tonight after Jordan Kahu succumbed to a shoulder injury in last week’s clash with the Titans.
His opposing No.1, Trbojevic, has been marked as Manly’s danger man on Saturday night.
“Hopefully he’s short of a bit of match fitness,” Green said.
“He’s a terrific player and a threat all the way up the field.
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“He and his brother have got a great combination and good understanding there.
“He’s a good player and we will have to be on for our kick chase and especially defending around the ruck well.”
Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt said he would be hard to contain.
“He’s one of their strike weapons,” Feldt said.
“He’s their go-to and gets them out of trouble.
“We’ve got to really nullify all of the stuff he can do for them.”
Maroons halfback Daly Cherry-Evans has also travelled up to Townsville with his Manly squad after being named in the No.19 jersey.
Green said the Cowboys’ charge towards the top eight was not on his mind.
“It’s about building momentum and building on each week,” he said.
“I didn’t look at the ladder at the start of the year so I’m not going to start looking at the ladder now.”
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