The North Queensland Cowboys already had a huge mountain to climb against the second-placed Rabbitohs in Cairns this Sunday, but Origin niggles and the Kiwis' airline delays have made the task even tougher for Paul Green's men.
The Cowboys could not hold a full training session early in the week after five-eighth Te Maire Martin's flight home from the Denver Test match was cancelled due to an electrical storm.
The young playmaker only made his way back to Townsville on Tuesday and his recovery from the long-haul flight will be a factor in training, according to Green.
"I've got to see how he pulls up but he got through the game OK. The travel is an issue but we'll have to assess it once he gets back to training but I'm probably more confident he'll be alright," Green said.
"They had an electrical storm and their flight got cancelled and they had to catch a later flight."
Coen Hess has come through Origin II at ANZ Stadium well but his fellow Maroon Gavin Cooper took a knock to his collarbone on Sunday night.
"Coops got a bit of a bump but I think he'll be OK... it's just a bump to his collarbone but I think it's more stirring up an old injury, so it's nothing too major," Green said.
"None of them will train until Friday, so once we get a good look at Coops then we'll reassess but at this stage I'd say he'll be right."
Co-captain Matt Scott is also under an injury cloud, a chronic neck problem taking its toll on the veteran front-rower.
"He's had neck issues over the years so something has obviously stirred it up recently," Green said. "We've just got to monitor it and increase his load and hopefully he can handle it.
"He's still a question mark, it's a bit of wait and see with that one. He wanted to be named so I was happy to name him and we'll see how the week goes."