Slater mulling Hunt switch as Dearden, Oates called up

Stricken superstar Cameron Munster was the first Maroons player to congratulate his replacement Tom Dearden, but Queensland coach Billy Slater is considering moving Ben Hunt to five-eighth.

Dearden and Corey Oates were called into the Maroons side after Munster and winger Murray Taulagi tested positive for COVID-19 and the two players ruled out were the first to speak to their replacements.

However, Slater is yet to confirm whether Hunt or Dearden would partner Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves as the Maroons deal with a situation he admitted was “far from ideal” for an Origin series decider.

Slater also said it was too soon to be certain that more Queensland players hadn’t contracted COVID, despite all tests in camp since Munster and Tualagi returned positive RAT tests on Friday having been negative.

“We were all clear this morning so it is a really good start but we are certainly not out of the woods,” Slater said on Saturday. “We have got two guys in our hotel that have got COVID, and it is everywhere.

“I was watching the news last night and they were saying there’s been a 40 per cent increase [in hospitalisation] in the last 10 days, so it really tough situation for everyone and we are not immune to it.

"It just so happens that if one of our players goes down, they miss an Origin.”

If there are no further disruptions to the Maroons squad Oates will replace Tualagi on the left wing, while Slater is weighing up moving Hunt from hooker to five-eighth and starting Harry Grant at dummy half, with Dearden on the bench.

The other option is for Dearden to assume the playmaking duties alongside Cherry-Evans in a move that would cap a stunning turnaround for the 21-year-old after he was released mid-season by the Broncos last year to join the Cowboys.

“We are yet to decide what our starting 13 looks like but Tommy Dearden will play his first game for Queensland on Wednesday night in the decider,” Slater said.

“He has worked really hard over the last 12 months to get his game to where it is at and that is the reason why he is here. He has played some great footy and some consistent footy, as well.

“He is a really good defender, he is a great competitor and he uses the footy well. He is a big reason why the Cowboys are playing the sort of footy they are playing, and we like those habits in our players.

“Where he plays, we are not too sure just yet, but the fact he has been involved in all three [Origin] camps has certainly helped, as well. He is across how we play, what we focus on and he has really earned that opportunity to be here. He will jump in and do his job.”

However, filling Munster’s shoes in a series decider is a mammoth task and Slater admitted the star playmaker would be sorely missed but the Maroons believed they could still regain the State of Origin Shield at Suncorp Stadium.

Hunt plays halfback for St George Illawarra and is one of the most experienced players in the Queensland team but most of his 13 Origin appearances have been at hooker or in the bench utility role.

“Cameron Munster is a great player. I really feel for him and Murray because they worked really hard to get the opportunity to play in a decider,” Slater said. “This is the game of their lives and they are sitting in a hotel room right now.

“They were the first guys that spoke to the players who were coming into their positions. It is a really tight group this one and they [Oates and Dearden] feel for those two guys sitting in their rooms, but they were the guys who spoke first to those two individuals who came into the team.

“That just goes to show where their minds are at and how much this team means to them. He [Munster] is a big part of our team but Tom Dearden, Ben Hunt ... we have got some good players.

"Queensland will be proud of this team, don’t worry about that.”