Monday 16 June 2014 11:12, UK
Queensland coach Mal Meninga is unlikely to name his team for Wednesday’s State of Origin game against New South Wales until the morning of the match as he continues to assess the fitness of Daly Cherry-Evans.
The 25-year-old half-back is struggling to overcome a knee injury but skipper Cameron Smith is keen for Cherry-Evans to play.
Smith said: “We’re still unsure on Daly, he has done a fair bit of running through the week but hasn’t been able to train with the team yet.
“I think Mal is going to give him up until Wednesday morning to prove his fitness.
"It is a gamble but Daly has been present at all of our sessions, he's been watching on.
"It's pretty late but that's the situation we are in. No one is panicking. Everyone is pretty relaxed about it."
Cherry-Evans was called up for the second Origin match after Cooper Cronk sustained a broken arm in the series opener.
And if Cherry-Evans fails to recover, Ben Hunt is on standby to make his Origin debut.
Queensland lost the opening State of Origin fixture in Brisbane 12-8 on May 28 and are desperate to level the series at Sydney's Olympic Stadium this week – otherwise New South Wales will claim the title for the first time since 2005.
