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Brett Stewart’s back injury has opened the door for a return to NSW fullback for Parramatta’s Jarryd Hayne, but Laurie Daley isn’t short of options.
Stewart, who is the current Blues incumbent, was ruled out for at least a month on Wednesday after suffering a chipped bone following a knee to his back during Manly’s 24-18 win over St George Illawarra on Monday night.
He is certain to miss the State of Origin opener in Sydney on June 5 and may have only one NRL game to prove his fitness for game two in Brisbane.
“The first scan showed nothing but we had to send him back to the doctor,” said Manly coach Geoff Toovey on Wednesday.
“And the scans late in the afternoon showed he’s got a small chip in his back…. so out for probably about a month or so.
“It’s a blow for everyone. It was such a minor thing that happened … it’s a bit of a shock to us.”
NSW coach Laurie Daley had earmarked Josh Dugan for the fullback role at the start of the season.
But with the former Canberra bad boy currently without a club after being sacked by the Raiders, Stewart was set to keep his spot in the side.
But Daley will now be forced into a rethink before naming his first ever NSW side on Sunday, May 26.
Despite being just 25, Hayne is the Blues’ most experienced Origin performer with 16 appearances to his name since making his debut on the wing in 2007.
The Eels co-captain has played most of his career in the custodian role and scooped the Dally M Medal in 2009 following a stunning run of form that helped his side reach the grand final.
However, he has only played fullback twice for the Blues under Craig Bellamy during the 2010 series, won 3-0 by Queensland, and played on the wing in all three games last year.
Should Daley opt to move Hayne to the back, South Sydney’s Nathan Merritt and Newcastle’s Akuila Uate will be the leading candidates to fill the the vacant wing spot.
Uate played in games one and two last year but was axed for the decider in Brisbane.
Merritt is still waiting to make his Origin debut despite having 146 tries to his name from 208 NRL appearances.
But he was out-shone by the Knights’ flyer in last month’s City-Country clash in Coffs Harbour with Uate scoring and creating a try with a brilliant pass in the Country side’s victory.
South Sydney coach Michael Maguire reiterated his backing for Merritt and said he was more than ready for Origin.
“I have no doubts that he can handle it,” Maguire said on Wednesday.
“He does it every week for South Sydney. If he gets the opportunity he will definitely take it.”
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St George Illawarra winger Brett Morris is the latest NSW player to be placed in doubt for the State of Origin opener on June 5 after undergoing knee surgery.
Morris injured his left knee during the first half of Monday’s defeat to Manly at Kogarah and had arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday to remove torn cartilage from the joint.
“We expect his rehabilitation time frame to be between two to four weeks dependent on how he recovers from surgery,” said Dragons high performance director Andrew Gray.
The news means Morris will definitely miss Sunday’s clash against the Gold Coast and Parramatta in round 10.
NSW coach Laurie Daley will name his side on Sunday, May 26 after Sunday’s round 11 matches and has already lost fullback Brett Stewart to a back injury.
There is also an injury cloud hanging over skipper Paul Gallen who sustained medial ligament damage to his knee last Sunday.
Gallen has been named to face the Wests Tigers on Friday but is rated as extremely doubtful to run out at Allianz Stadium.
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