Injured recruit Robert Lui may have to roll the dice in a trial game for feeder club Northern Pride in a last ditch bid to be picked at halfback for North Queensland’s opening NRL game next month.
Lui (knee) will miss Saturday night’s final NRL trial, against Gold Coast in Mackay, with Ray Thompson named at half and Michael Morgan on the interchange bench.
With Thompson impressing again in Perth last week in the 18-12 win over St George Illawarra, Lui has some ground to make up but little time and opportunity to do it.
His best chance could be to turn out for affiliate club Northern Pride against the Mackay Cutters in Moranbah, a week before the first round of NRL matches.
Until injuring his knee early in the year, Lui was the player most likely to take over at halfback, allowing Johnathan Thurston to move to five-eighth in 2012 where he wants to take over Darren Lockyer’s role for Queensland and Australia.
Coach Neil Henry admitted Thompson was favourite following two very good trial displays but conceded Lui could get a chance to make a late push if he played for the Pride.
“It (the trial game) could be enough,” he said.
“But Ray Thompson was good last week, he was very good the week before and he’s in good form.
“At the moment he’s in the box seat with JT (Thurston).”
Henry talked about Thurston playing five-eighth until it was pointed out he’d named him at halfback for the Titans trial at Virgin Australia Stadium.
“Is he named at seven or has he got six on him?,” inquired Henry with a grin.
“Seven? Well I had him down as a six, there you go.
“I guess he’ll play six or seven … he’ll be out there, on the left side mainly, but sometimes on the right.”
Thurston and club games record holder Matt Bowen will make their first Cowboys appearances for 2012 in the trial.
Thurston played 78 minutes of a physical NRL All Star game earlier this month and Henry sat him out of the game against the Dragons.
“We missed his leadership, flair and his kicking game,” he said.
“He and Matty (Bowen) will be raring to go on Saturday night.”
It’s a little unusual to play a final pre-season trial against the side you meet in round one and Henry said there could be some cloak and dagger stuff on the night.
“I’m not sure what Carty (Titans coach John Cartwright) will get up to but it’s a bit unique playing them in our last trial and our first NRL game I suppose,” said Henry.
“There could be some foxing with the interchanges.”
