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It might have been tempting but North Queensland coach Paul Green has opted not to risk prized playmaker Michael Morgan in Friday night’s NRL blockbuster derby against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.
Morgan was named on an extended bench and looked set to return from an abdominal strain that sidelined him for their round-one win over Cronulla. He had trained on Thursday morning with the Cowboys.
However, the North Queensland five-eighth was a no-show when the team flew out of Townsville for the derby.
Green is fairly confident Morgan will return next week against Melbourne after deciding to keep his match-winner on ice for another week.
“No, Morgo won’t play. At this stage, we don’t want to be taking the risk,” Green said.
“He was pretty close but he hadn’t improved enough so, if he did play tomorrow night, it would have taken him a fair while to get over the game.
“That’s the nature of the injury.
“An injury like this can hang around all season – we want to avoid that if we can.”
Green was confident Te Maire Martin could again step up in the halves alongside Johnathan Thurston after impressing last week in Morgan’s absence.
“Te did a great job. It was the first time he had played alongside Johnno in the halves so that combination will get better and, hopefully, it does tomorrow night,” Green said.
After missing Thurston’s 300th NRL game last round, Morgan will also be sidelined on Friday night for Cowboys winger Antonio Winterstein’s 200th top-grade match.
Winterstein debuted in 2009 at Brisbane before linking two years later with the Cowboys.
“We don’t need an excuse to get up for this game,” Green said of the derby.
“(But) I think, deep down, there’s a lot of respect for Antonio in the team and I’m sure the boys would like to repay that with a good performance.
“It’s a huge achievement for anyone to play 200 games in the NRL. It’s a sign of longevity and consistency so it’s a wonderful achievement for him.”
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