Queensland have had an injury scare and a piece of good news on Friday with Matt Gillett failing to finish training while Michael Morgan was cleared to play in Wednesday's State of Origin decider after passing his cognitive test.
Gillett suffered a knock to the nose during Queensland's opposed session against Intrust Super Cup team Easts Tigers.
Following the session, Maroons officials couldn't confirm whether Gillett would be a certain starter in Origin III, and that he was pulled out of the session as a precaution.
The Maroons will assess the injury further overnight and are hopeful the Origin veteran will be fit to take on the Blues at ANZ Stadium next Wednesday night.
The scare was made more serious given he suffered a broken nose in the Broncos loss against the Eels in round 14.
David Fifita filled in for Gillett while the veteran forward was off the training paddock.
Morgan was concussed by a tackle by Dragons forward Tariq Sims in the Cowboys' round 15 loss at WIN Stadium, a hit which ultimately led to the NSW enforcer being suspended for one week at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night.
Match: Blues v Maroons
Game 3 -
home Team
Blues
away Team
Maroons
Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney
The Cowboys captain joined Maroons camp on Monday and was on modified training until Friday's opposed session. There is still conjecture over where he will play on Wednesday night with Moses Mbye, the utility in game one and two of this year's Origin series, training at left centre on Friday afternoon. Morgan did train but roamed in various positions when he came on.
Morgan said he was "a bit nervous" before passing his test and had no recollection of the tackle by Sims or the immediate aftermath.
"It's all good now. I was pretty dazed on Friday night but since then I have had no headaches or dizziness," Morgan said before Friday training.
"I don't actually remember [the incident] and I don't remember the next half an hour walking off the field - I don't even know if I did an HIA test in the sheds. I was pretty rocked, but since then I have felt pretty good.
"Yesterday afternoon I did the cognitive test that you have to do to be passed to play. I did that and I passed so from now on I am pretty much good to go. That was the final test.
"You always get a bit nervous by it because you do the base line at the start of the year to see where your standard is, and you have to get a certain standard to pass. It not too bad, just a bit of reaction stuff on a computer and yes/no questions."
Morgan said there was contact with his head from the Sims tackle but did not regard it as intentional.
"I don't think there was malice in it. He didn't come flying out and try and take my head off so it was probably unfortunately for him a tackle that went a bit wrong," he said.
Morgan has been named at left centre despite Moses Mbye training in the position this week.
"I have been named there but I couldn't really do much at all [at training]. Yesterday morning was by far the most I have done. It was more than I was expecting but since I passed yesterday I am cleared to do contact and everything now," he said.
With Cameron Munster now playing fullback and having a liking for roaming around the field, Morgan said he and all his teammates had to be ready in support when the Storm star put the accelerator down.
Gagai to kick goals for Maroons in Origin decider
"The more he gets his hands on the ball the better it is for us," Morgan said of Munster.
"Everyone has seen what he can do when he goes out and plays his style of footy, which at times is a bit off the cuff. He creates something when there is not much on."
Morgan and the Maroons got to meet the mysterious "coach whisperer" Bradley Charles Stubbs in camp on Monday night and said that his philosophies had struck a chord with the playing group.
"He is quite unique I guess. I have never come across or had the experience of anyone of his nature before so it was a different outlook on the game in terms of preparation," Morgan said.
"I certainly see why Kevvie [Walters] has been keen on him, and I know the boys picked up a few good things from him. Hopefully it can help. It certainly made a difference. I took things out of it and I know a number of the boys who did walked away [with inspiration]. It was a different angle to look at it that we hadn't done before. He's good at what he does."
