Maroons coach Mal Meninga set to blood Daly Cherry-Evans this year

SEVERAL Queenslanders will be playing for their Origin future  after Mal Meninga unveiled plans to blood Daly Cherry-Evans this year.

SEVERAL Queenslanders will be playing for their Origin future tonight after Maroons coach Mal Meninga unveiled plans to blood Daly Cherry-Evans this year.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Meninga is keen to hand Cherry-Evans his debut, most likely in Game Two, which usually opens up after the conservative style associated with the series opener.

Cherry-Evans, 24, was 18th man for this and last year's series openers, although Meninga believes he is ready for Origin combat as part of his new-generation strategy.

The push to elevate the Manly playmaker will come at a cost, putting added pressure on bench forwards Matt Gillett, Corey Parker, Ben Te'o and Chris McQueen to perform at ANZ Stadium tonight.

Despite an alarming betting drift yesterday partly because of speculation that Johnathan Thurston was in serious doubt with a virus, Thurston's manager Sam Ayoub last night said that the Maroons playmaker was "100 per cent" certain to play.

Meninga believes Cherry-Evans has the size to handle a utility role and a Maroons loss tonight will almost certainly herald his Origin baptism in the return bout at Suncorp Stadium on June 26.

"I have a high regard for Daly and we would like to give him an opportunity in this series," Meninga said.

"The second game is traditionally free-flowing and Daly has been part of our system for a few years now.

"I've been really impressed with the way he's handled this camp. When Johnno (Thurston) sat out training (last Sunday because of a virus), it was a good opportunity to get young Daly in there working with the team.

"It's important we remain loyal to the players who have had success, but at the same time you have to have an eye on the future."

Maroons selectors will be reluctant to wield the axe if their 17-man squad does the job tonight in Origin I.

With injured prop Ben Hannant likely to be available for Game Two, the panel may have additional size to carry a smaller utility such as Cherry-Evans on interchange.

Parker and Gillett have credit points with selectors after featuring in last year's series win.

Maroons halfback Cooper Cronk served his apprenticeship on the Queensland bench and believes Cherry-Evans would revel in the utility role he previously held.

"There's a few of the guys in the Queensland side who are pushing 30 and you can't play forever," Cooper said.

"Daly, Josh (Papalii) and Justin O'Neill have been in the system, so they know what is expected of them."

Queensland last night were $2.05 underdogs with TattsBet to win Game One and as long as $2.15 with tab.com.au.

"There is genuine doubt that Thurston will play. He didn't finish training," TattsBet's Gerard Daffy.

"The market is braced for Cherry-Evans to play instead of Thurston." The time Thurston has spent away from training in recent days was only precautionary, his manager said.

"They just wanted to conserve his energy levels," Ayoub said.