Ben Hannant has revealed he was shocked to return from Queensland’s State of Origin series-winning team to be told he’d lost his starting role in Brisbane’s pack to young bull Josh McGuire.

“Of course I was surprised … did you see it coming?,” he said when asked if coach Anthony Griffin’s decision to reward McGuire for some outstanding NRL club form in his absence had caught him by surprise.

“I didn’t see it coming but, at the end of the day, I’ll do whatever the team requires me to do.

“I probably played more time than I normally do but obviously I want to start (the game).

“All I could do was get out there and play good footy and prove to them that I should be starting.

“That’s what I’ve done and what I’m going to continue to do for the rest of the year.”

While McGuire excelled up front and collected a string of player awards for Brisbane while Hannant was on Origin duty, Hannant was entitled to expect his starting job would be there after helping Queensland clinch a seventh successive series last month.

To Hannant’s dismay, McGuire was named as Petero Civoniceva’s front-row partner against the Warriors and he was again the following weekend against Gold Coast.

There might have been more behind Griffin’s decision than just form but – after a strong game off the bench against the Warriors, backed up by 45 tackles and 145 metres in a losing side against the Titans – Hannant has made his point.

Hannant was reinstated to his starting role last weekend and responded with 29 tackles and 179 metres – the most by any player on the field except for Parramatta lock and former Australian forward Reni Maitua (183 metres).

Hannant says there’s no ill-feeling or any war with young McGuire who also played a strong 80 minutes against Parramatta as Corey Parker’s replacement.

“It’s not a battle (between us) – we’re in the same team so it doesn’t matter,” he said.

“If I play my best, Josh plays his best and Petero plays his best, that’s what is best for the team.”

Ben Te’o, who could return to the forwards if centre Jack Reed (broken leg) is a late inclusion for this weekend’s clash with Canberra, was up front about Brisbane’s recent losses and what was required from the players to turn things around.

“If that (loss to Parramatta) wasn’t a wake-up call, I don’t know what is,” said Te’o who wants to leave for South Sydney on a high note.

“That’s definitely not how we play. If we make it to the finals with form like that, we’ll be out pretty quick.

“It’s definitely a wake-up call to change our attitude, get refocused and start playing that tough finals footy.”

Reed and Parker both completed Thursday’s training session and are still in the mix for Sunday’s away clash with Canberra.