A bout of tonsillitis will keep Queensland centre Dane Gagai in insolation just four days out from the State of Origin opener.
The South Sydney star was unable to train on Sunday but is expected to travel with the side to Townsville on Monday and play on Wednesday.
Maroons officials wouldn’t confirm if Gagai, who also missed Friday’s session, had been tested for COVID-19 as the side again grappled with a State of Origin health scare.
Gagai was hit by illness and confined ahead of game two of the 2019 series, while the team battled a wave of the common cold during the 2012 series and Darius Boyd was implicated in a 2009 Origin swine flu scare.
Gagai’s training absence follows the fitness clouds over five-eighth Cameron Munster (foot) and utility back AJ Brimson (knee), who both appeared untroubled by their ailments at training on Sunday.
“It happens; in the game we play we get injuries and when you play a game in winter you get crook every now and then too,” fellow centre Kurt Capewell said on Sunday.
“Gags is just a bit crook and they’re sorting him out.
Gagai’s Rabbitohs teammate Jaydn Su’A could be shifted from the backrow to centre if he is unable to shake the illness and play on Wednesday.
Dane Gagai of the Queensland Maroons scores a try. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
Su’A joked that the latest sickness concern was an attempt for the Gagai to build on an Origin legacy that already features 11 tries in 16 games.
“I’ve spent some time in the centres (in Origin camp), but he’ll be fine,” Su’A said.
“I called him this morning after not seeing him on Saturday when we had a day off … (I told him to) just stay away from me though.”
“I think he just wants a story; everyone knows what he brings to the Origin arena so this will just add more to the story.”
The team completed their final session at their Gold Coast base before heading north on Monday.
Munster and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans spent the early parts of the session fine-tuning their attacking cross-field kicks to wingers Kyle Feldt and Xavier Coates.
Rookie Feldt and Coates enjoy a 10cm and 12cm height advantage over rival wingers Brian To’o and Josh Addo-Carr, who are both 182cm tall, respectively.
Tony
Roar Guru
Even happened after he retired
Rossi
Roar Rookie
Tonsillitis eh? Poppycock!
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
Oh please....Munster had to get plaster on his foot this arvo and Harry Grant has got a headache
Dutski
Roar Guru
:laughing:
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
I struggle with the idea of an extra leg, for my thinking it would make sidestepping far more difficult and I would imagine running as well, no actual animals that I know of have a odd number of legs. Anyhow if someone has three legs and can say if it's beneficial or not let me know and by leg I mean a appendage that has a femur, tib, fib and so on and so forth :thumbup:
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Cooper Cronk rolled his ankle on the same patch of grass every year
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Like clockwork
steveng
Roar Rookie
:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :thumbup: good one BM, well said as Gags has been pretty good lately and we need him and the rest of the boys to come back and have the same mindsets!
Ben Lewis
Roar Pro
Can we have one Origin series without Queensland trying this nonsense? No doubt before Game II there’ll be a gastro bug going through the camp or something.
Dutski
Roar Guru
Nice change from someone being in doubt with an ankle injury in the days leading up to origin. Always something.
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
When Gags puts on his Maroons jersey he grows and extra leg. Doubt he will need his tonsils.
peterj
Roar Rookie
Surprised it’s taken this long for the Queensland “rise from the death bed narrative” to come to life this year.