NRL: Hunt and Boyd the victims of Smith’s retirement

Cameron Smith’s sudden and shock retirement from State of Origin could bite hardest on Ben Hunt and Darius Boyd.

Ben Hunt may have lost his grip on the Maroons’ No 7 jersey

Cameron Smith’s sudden and shock retirement from State of Origin could bite hardest on Ben Hunt and Darius Boyd, as the former attempts to make his mark for Queensland and the latter desperately clings to his place in the ­Maroons side.

Hunt was pushing hard to wear the No 7 jersey for the Maroons heading into the opening State of Origin game at the MCG on June 6 but Smith’s decision could yet have ramifications for the St George Illawarra halfback given his ability to play hooker.

Playing Hunt in the No 9 jersey — he handled the role with aplomb for Brisbane during the latter stages of last season — would mean Michael Morgan could play halfback and a spot would be opened on the interchange bench for Kayln Ponga, allowing coach Kevin Walters to usher the Newcastle sensation into the Origin arena.

Alternatively, Walters could opt for Andrew McCullough at hooker and use Hunt to give the Brisbane rake a rest. Either way, Hunt shapes as collateral damage as a result of Smith’s decision, the odds of him starting at halfback and staying there appearing to lengthen given his versatility.

The chances of Boyd retaining a place in the backline also appear to have diminished following Smith’s decision. Boyd, a veteran of 28 games for his state, was already locked in a three-way battle for a place in the wing with Valentine Holmes and Corey Oates.

With Queensland now in the market for a new goalkicker, Holmes’s claims on a wing berth have been strengthened. The Cronulla winger is the most accurate of the contenders for kicking duties — Munster is the other likely candidate — having filled the role at times for the Sharks in recent years.

His ability with the boot gives him an edge over Boyd and Oates, notwithstanding the fact he is also coming off his best performance of the season. Holmes ran for more than 300m in the Sharks’ win over Canberra last weekend, a timely reminder of his talents only a fortnight before Walters is due to sit down to select his side for Origin I.

Most interest will centre on who replaces Smith, and McCullough would appear the favourite.

Maroons great Johnathan Thurston yesterday suggested the Brisbane hooker should be given the job ahead of his Cowboys teammate Jake Granville and Roosters captain Jake Friend.

However, Walters may opt to select Hunt, allowing him to include both the Dragons half and Morgan in the starting side, the by-product that Ponga could be given the opportunity to showcase his unique talents on the sport’s biggest stage. One person who won’t be there is Thurston, the Cowboys skipper yesterday making it clear that he had no plans to reverse his retirement decision.

Thurston suggested the Queensland team was in good hands with the likes of Hunt, Munster, Morgan, Anthony Milford and Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans among those capable of playing in the halves.

“My representative career is well and truly over, let me make that clear,” Thurston said.

“I’m no chance, (Kevin Walters) would be really scraping the barrel coming back to me. We’ve got some really exciting halves playing at the moment.

“Cameron Munster is on fire at Melbourne, Benny Hunt is on fire at St George, Michael Morgan has played in that role before and can get the job done, (Cherry-Evans) has played Origin before and so has Anthony Milford, so we’ve got loads of depth there.

“It’s a new era for the Queensland team and I’m really excited for what lies ahead.”

Thurston spoke to Smith yesterday, opening a bottle of wine to mark the occasions with his long-time teammate and friend. Smith’s decision caught everyone off guard but Thurston said he could understand the reasoning behind bringing down the curtain on one of the great representative careers.

All told, Smith has spent more than a year in camp with the Queensland side over the course of his 42-game career.

If Smith could just turn up and play the game, you get the feeling he would have gone around again. However, the prospect of spending another three weeks away from his young family over the course of the series prompted Smith to call it a day.

“I got a bottle of nice red (wine) out of my cupboard, cracked it open and had a couple of drinks on the phone (speaking to Smith),” Thurston said.

“He’s been a big part of my life and our families’ lives as well. The memories we’ve shared on and off the field are quite special.

“I totally understand where he is coming from (by retiring). The amount of games he has played and the position he has played is a testament to the person he is and the character he is.”