The Queensland Maroons have been dealt a huge blow ahead of Game II of the State of Origin series with two forwards set to be ruled out with injury.
Prop Tom Gilbert dislocated his shoulder midway through the opening half of Game I and is set to undergo surgery, while Jai Arrow injured his ankle playing for the Rabbitohs against the Titans and has already gone under the knife.
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Gilbert underwent scans on his shoulder and, according to reports, the injury ‘was worse than first feared’.
In a devastating blow, the Dolphins forward is set to miss the remainder of the NRL season as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
Gilbert hurt his right shoulder attempting a tackle in the 19th minute against NSW at Adelaide Oval last Wednesday, with his injury followed by the Maroons being penalised for having 14 players on the field – his replacement Lindsay Collins entered before Gilbert departed.
Collins and Gilbert were both in play for about 30 seconds before the error was called to referee Ashley Klein’s attention, with Queensland Rugby League hit with a $30,000 fine for the incident.
Meanwhile, South Sydney forward Arrow is set to miss the next 6-8 weeks after undergoing ankle surgery following the Rabbitohs’ win over the Gold Coast.
Arrow would have been the most likely candidate to replace Gilbert, and his versatility as a prop or edge forward has been invaluable to the Maroons and the Rabbitohs.
The injuries means Queensland coach Billy Slater will be searching for a replacement in his starting side and bench for Game II in Brisbane on June 21.
“They (Gilbert and Arrow) won’t be available for Game II,” Slater said on The Billy Slater Podcast.
“That’s a big blow for us because they’re an integral part of the Queensland State of Origin team.
“They were last year and they have been for Game I this year.
“We’ve got our concerns and we’re going to have to fill their void.
“Sometimes you think of a team environment and some people are more important than others – not in our team.
“These two guys have been really important for us over the last two series and whoever jumps into their spot have got some big shoes to fill.”
While Queensland are blessed with strong middle forward depth (Corey Horsburgh, Christian Welch and J’maine Hopgood couldn’t make it into Slater’s 17 for last week’s win over NSW), they don’t enjoy such depth on the edges.
Dolphins veteran Felise Kaufusi is suspended and won’t play prior to next Monday’s team announcement, while Gold Coast forward Beau Fermor is out for the season.
This leaves Slater with a choice between Brisbane’s Kurt Capewell, who missed the squad for Origin I, and the Cowboys duo of Jeremiah Nanai and Heilum Luki.
– With AAP