Rugby league's greatest hooker Cameron Smith has called for Eels No.9 Reed Mahoney to make his Queensland debut ahead of Harry Grant as the Maroons hunt for a new forward leader among several early injury issues.
Smith's endorsement of Mahoney to start ahead of fellow Sunshine Coast product Harry Grant comes as the Storm rake battles a hamstring injury that is likely to keep him from playing again before Origin I sides are selected in 11 days.
Grant's latest lay-off means he joins fellow Queenslanders Cameron Munster (foot), Kalyn Ponga (groin), Corey Allan (shoulder), David Fifita and Josh Papalii (both suspended) on the sidelines leading into the June 9 series opener.
While Munster and Ponga are expected to play next week, Grant is no certainty, Fifita will still be banned and Papalii's three-game suspension rules him out of game one.
Despite playing a starring role in his Ampol State of Origin debut last season, injuries have limited Grant to just five games this year – four of them off the bench – while Mahoney has been in career-best touch and a key pillar in Parramatta's impressive start.
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Speaking on SEN Radio on Wednesday, Smith cited Grant's bench impact as a potential weapon for incoming coach Paul Green.
"The big question is ‘is Harry going to be fit?’ It’s not far away," Smith said.
"There’s two more games before the first Origin teams are selected and we all know how delicate hamstrings are and the way team physios and doctors treat them.
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"Will Harry get to play another game before Origin and will he be fit for that high-intensity arena?
"Reed has played every game and is playing really well. The stats back up his performances.
"You’d probably start with Reed. He is a tough little bugger. He doesn’t mind getting involved in tackles. He’s made 60-odd tackles plenty of times in his career.
"He’s got great service from dummy-half, a pretty good running game and kicking game. He’s got all the threats.
"Then you bring Harry Grant on to the field just before half-time to use his silky skills and craft to tear apart the Blues.
"Harry played such a vital role off the bench in game three [last year]. The game turned [when he came on] and you could see the momentum shift."
Mahoney's 10 try assists from dummy-half this season are double the next best by a hooker – which is Grant with five – and are a stark improvement on his seven assists from 56 NRL games prior to this year.
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The 23-year-old's added creativity around the ruck has added a point of difference to the Eels' attack, with Mahoney backing himself to handle any representative honours that come his way.
"I'd like to think that I'm somewhat in the conversation and that my name is getting thrown around," Mahoney told NRL.com's Inside the NRL this week.
"But I've just got to put myself in that picture and I hope I have. It's everyone's dream to play NRL but to be able to play State of Origin would be an absolute dream come true. I would take it with both hands and wouldn't let go."
Playing Mahoney and Grant as a one-two hooking punch would likely come at the expense of regular utility Ben Hunt, whose nine Origins make him one of the Maroons' most experienced current players.
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Papalii's suspension takes 18 appearances worth of know-how out of their ranks, with only Dane Gagai (16 Origins), captain Daly Cherry-Evans (13) and Cameron Munster (10) clocking double-digits.
Storm prop Christian Welch looms as a likely replacement for Papalii up front in Origin I, though he was reluctant to talk up that aspect of his game as he doesn't consider himself a guaranteed selection.
"Papalii is definitely the most experienced [forward] and a real calm influence on the group," Welch told NRL.com.
Was this the crackdown the NRL had to have?
"He'll be a big loss for the team. I think he's a bit similar to Jesse Bromwich. He's an actions-based leader.
"He goes out there and sets the platform with his physicality and performance in the game.
"I feel like with their leadership style, they don't need to talk a whole lot. But they'll lead the charge and the boys will get in behind them.
"Obviously Chez [Cherry-Evans] has done a great job for the team and he's a natural leader. Ben Hunt was really valuable [in 2020].
"There's a bunch of guys that have been around the squad for a few years now and really understand the values of Queensland and what we're about and trying to get out there and perform well."
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