Queensland prop Josh McGuire says the Queensland side would not be the same without veteran forward Nate Myles, with the 26-year-old insisting Myles needs to play on into next year.
Myles has denied speculation that Game Three of Origin on July 13 would be his last in Queensland colours, and McGuire has thrown his support behind the 30-game veteran.
It appears Kevin Walters has the same faith in Myles, with the Queensland coach picking the Maroons enforcer just three weeks after he underwent knee surgery.
It means Myles will come into Game Three with next to no playing time under his belt, but McGuire says Queensland should continue to pick the Sea Eagles star whenever he declares himself available for selection.
"I definitely hope he plays on next year. He's a great player and a great servant of the game," McGuire said.
"I enjoy playing footy with him and I try and make the most of the opportunity.
"I've tried to learn from him a fair bit because he's one of the senior leaders of the Queensland side.
"I've been fortunate to learn a lot so far and I'm still learning. I always pick his brain at training.
"He's a senior figure of the squad and it's important for me to try and find out what he's learnt in his 30 games for Queensland.
"Nate's a dominant figure in the team that we all respect and look up to."
Myles was absent from Queensland's Game Two win at Suncorp Stadium with a knee injury, and although he wanted to play the team doctor decided it would only cause further damage.
McGuire said although the Queensland squad covered the loss of Myles well, the absence of his leadership and presence on both the training camp and the field was noticeable.
"All the boys that came in worked very hard, but Nate's presence was definitely missed on the field," McGuire said.
"Everyone is used to having him out there so I think we all noticed that he wasn't there.
"In saying that, I thought everyone did a great job of covering for that loss."