Michael Morgan injured as North Queensland hit a new low after 23-16 loss to New Zealand
NORTH Queensland’s season from hell has hit a new low with the Cowboys suffering a 23-16 loss to New Zealand amid injuries to Michael Morgan and Matt Scott.
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THE door is wide open for Newcastle sensation Kalyn Ponga to make his Origin debut, after Michael Morgan suffered a suspected torn bicep in the Cowboys’ heartbreaking 23-16 loss to the Warriors.
North Queensland’s farewell season to Johnathan Thurston sunk to a whole new low, when they fell to their 11th defeat of the year in front of a subdued home crowd.
With just nine rounds remaining for the Cowboys, they desperately needed a win in Townsville, but they could not nab the greatly desired two points.
They played with a lot of spirit and fought hard, but also looked predictable and struggled to put points on the board when they were needed most.
The Cowboys’ finals hopes are not completely gone, but it will only take a miracle now for the team who cannot afford any more losses.
The defeat was also accompanied by a possible long-term injury to Morgan, who suffered a suspected bicep tear in the opening half.
The loss of Morgan is also a blow for Queensland, who are sweating on the fitness of Melbourne fullback Billy Slater (hamstring).
Morgan would have been named as the Maroons’ bench utility on Monday and was the most obvious replacement for Slater, should he be ruled out.
But it is expected Morgan will now miss the clash in Sydney, opening the door for his former teammate Ponga to get the Queensland call up.
Coach Paul Green said Morgan will go for scans on Saturday but was reluctant to comment further on the injury.
“I think it’s his bicep,” Green said.
“He’s a very good player so it’s pretty obvious (the impact his loss had).
“He’s a key position for us but the shuffles and changes we made, the guys competed despite that.
“I was proud of the way we responded after last week (against Parramatta). I was pretty critical of our effort last week.
“We’re so close against really good sides. We’re just not close enough at the moment.”
Morgan appeared to hyperextend his arm while trying to make a tackle on Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in the 24th minute, with the speedy Warriors fullback racing through to score.
He had his left elbow and upper arm strapped but could not move the arm while running and was in obvious pain as he tried to pass a ball.
The trainers called him off three minutes later.
North Queensland have also been hit by the loss of young forward Sam Hoare for the season, after he did his ACL in the dying minutes of the game.
But the Cowboys’ night of horrors actually started hours before kick-off, when co-captain Matt Scott was unexpectedly ruled out with neck problems.
It was not just a loss for the Cowboys but also a hit to the veteran forward’s Origin hopes.
After being overlooked for Game One, Scott needed a big performance to earn a recall for Origin II but it is likely Queensland selectors will now stick with the incumbent forward pack.
The Cowboys now cannot afford to lose another game.
They have nine more matches and one bye to see out the season.
There also concerns for young forward Sam Hoare who left the field late in the second half.
NZ WARRIORS 23 (S Kata K Maumalo R Tuivasa-Sheck tries S Johnson 5 goals S Johnson field goal) bt NORTH QUEENSLAND 16 (K Feldt 2 J Bowen tries J Thurston 2 goals) at 1300 SMILES Stadium. Referee: Henry Perenara, Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski. Crowd: 11,062
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Originally published as Michael Morgan injured as North Queensland hit a new low after 23-16 loss to New Zealand